The Treasurer Lost 17 Kilos. The Interview Lost More.

SMH · Peter FitzSimons · Saturday 4 April 2026

The Treasurer Lost 17 Kilos. The Interview Lost More.

Peter FitzSimons interviews Treasurer Jim Chalmers for SMH, covering his weight loss, his nickname for the PM, and his feelings about Liberal MP Tim Wilson — with minimal economic substance.

FitzSimons asks the Treasurer if we're up the creek and gets back a diet plan and a nickname for the PM. Seventeen kilos shed and not one hard question absorbed. The country's running a trillion-dollar balance sheet and the flagship interview reads like a segment from Better Homes and Gardens with a lanyard.

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