Laura Chalmers wears designer Carla Zampatti dress to budget night

Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ wife Laura stole the show in a buttery Carla Zampatti dress while her husband debuted his second budget consecutive surplus.

The Weekend Magazine editor turned heads in a $899 yellow Carla Zampatti dress and matching $999 jacket on Tuesday night while supporting her husband on his big night.

She was joined by two of the couple’s three children Leo, eight, and Annabel, six, with youngest son Jack, three, a little too young to stay up and watch Dr Chalmers deliver his third budget speech.

The family sat beside PM Anthony Albanese’s fiancee Jodie Haydon and son Nathan.

Dr Chalmers delivered the first back-to-back surplus of $9.3 billion for the first time in almost two decades.

However, commentators have warned that the success will be short-lived, with the federal government’s finances expected to sink back into deficit over the following four years.

Adelaide-born Mrs Chalmers started her career as a state political reporter at the Adelaide Advertiser in 2003, before making the move to Canberra in 2006 where she worked as the newspaper’s federal reporter for two years.

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She made the move into political staffing in 2009, working as the press secretary for the now Foreign Minister Penny Wong before joining the office of Prime Minister Julia Gillard in February 2012 at a pivotal point in her leadership career.

During the peak of her political career, the Chalmers were busy planning their wedding which took place in March 2013.

Two days before the wedding, Labor MP Simon Crean initiated a leadership spill, which Gillard narrowly survived, leading to tense scenes at the wedding reception.

Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan were reportedly given a private room to form a new ministry.

Four months later, Gillard was ousted in a leadership spill led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in June 2013. The following day she announced her retirement from politics, leaving Mrs Chalmers looking for a new start.

She returned to a career in journalism, heading north to join The Courier-Mail in Brisbane as Chief of Staff and climbing her way up to Editor-in-Chief of Weekend Magazine in November 2021.