Declaring economic and personal freedom to be a foundation principle of his government, the Prime Minister has outlined a pragmatic approach to policies in tax, employment, higher education and climate change.

Mr Turnbull last night declined to say whether he thought the GST needed to be increased but made it clear he wanted to tackle tax policy. “Tax reform is going to be a big part of our reform agenda,” he told ABC TV. “That’s why we’ve brought the tax minister, the ­Assistant Treasurer, Kelly O’Dwyer, into the cabinet.”

Adding he did not want to play the “Canberra games” that limited policy debate, he said: “I’m not going to rule things in or rule things out.”

The comments came as the government put off big decisions on ­financial regulation and competition law, where decisions by Tony Abbott and his cabinet are up for review.

Mr Turnbull made no promise on workplace reform last night, saying any policy would be up to federal cabinet, but he made a ­distinction between his approach and the “pitched battle” between the government and the unions in the past. “I think the important thing is to seek to explore ways in which we can achieve more flexibility, higher levels of employment, higher levels of business activity,” he told ABC TV.

“And to do so in a way that ­reassures Australians — Australian workers in particular — that this is not threatening their conditions. In other words, the challenge for us is not to wage war with ­unions or the workers that they seek to represent, but really to explain what the challenges are and to lay out some reform options.”

Business groups were dis­appointed with the Abbott government for choosing to avoid any controversial changes in workplace law, while unions portrayed every proposal as a potential ­return to the Work Choices laws of the Howard government. Major reforms are waiting for decisions as the government considers whether to embrace the banking and finance rules recommended by banking veteran David Murray or overhaul competition laws as recommended by economist Stephen Harper. The government was ready to announce its response to Mr Murray’s Financial System Inquiry last week but that is now being reconsidered under Ms O’Dwyer.

Mr Turnbull made it clear in his first days in power that he backed all existing government policies but they were also subject to review by cabinet. Yesterday he stood by the Coalition’s climate change policies, while Social Services Minister Christian Porter insisted on the need to go ahead with one of the most controversial welfare changes — forcing young people to wait for the dole. “I think they’re completely fair changes,” Mr Porter said of the policy of making many Newstart applicants wait 30 days for benefits.

Mr Turnbull said he had learnt from his last period as Liberal leader, before he was replaced by Mr Abbott in 2009, and would be more consultative. “An experience like that either makes you or breaks you. And you can come out of that reforged, ­regalvanised, as a wiser, better person,” he said. “I’m wiser about people. I feel much more confident and centred.”