Menu Close

Articles on Peter Costello

Displaying all articles

John Howard called an election a fortnight after announcing the GST on August 13 1998, which he only narrowly won. National Archives of Australia

Cabinet papers 1998-99: how the GST became unstoppable

The introduction of the GST got off to a wobbly start, but has since become accepted as the Australian way of paying for things.
Peter Costello says the government’s first preoccupation would have to be internal management. Lucas Coch/AAP

Costello questions what the Turnbull government can achieve

Former treasurer Peter Costello has raised questions about how much the Turnbull government can achieve given its political situation, and warned of the risk of a defection.
Treasurer Joe Hockey’s failure to talk about basic measures of the economy in his second budget speech is telling. AAP/Mick Tsikas

Three missing letters say it all about Hockey’s budget pitch

A budget speech that fails to discuss basic measures of how the economy going is revealing in itself. Joe Hockey is the first treasurer since at least 1981 not to mention GDP.
Peter Costello believes the Liberals are destroying their economic credentials. AAP/Alan Porritt

Who thinks adults don’t fight over (tax) money?

It’s no secret that Peter Costello doesn’t give a high mark to the Abbott government, and every now and then he uses his column in News Corp papers to call it out.
Journalist George Megalogenis takes an affectionate journey through the milieu of Australia’s economic reform in a new ABC documentary, Making Australia Great. ABC TV

Making Australia Great despite themselves: PMs stake rival claims

A line-up of former prime ministers stake their rival claims to making Australia great, in a new series by journalist George Megalogenis.
Former treasurer Peter Costello has waded into the tax reform debate. AAP/Dean Lewins

Costello tells government to spell out tax reform principles

Former treasurer Peter Costello has said the government should lay down its principles for tax reform ahead of setting up its tax review – and declared what they should be. With details of the planned…
Tony Abbott has promised not to cut areas such as health, education and payments to the poor and disadvantaged, but a Commission of Audit report traditionally trumps such Liberal National Party promises. AAP

Hidden in plain sight: commission cuts and non-core promises

There has been much, and justified, criticism, of Tony Abbott’s decision to conceal the costings of his policies until two days before the election, when the electronic media blackout will be in place…
Crisis talks: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, September 2009.

FactCheck: did Kevin Rudd help create the G20?

“I think people are all excited about the fact that when the G20 is hosted in Australia next year, the G20 Finance [Ministers] will be meeting here in Cairns in far north Queensland… of course, that exists…
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman announces his government’s plan to outsource, rather than completely privatise, many public services. AAP/Dan Peled

Why Queensland didn’t need to sell the family farm

Back in July last year Queensland Premier Campbell Newman was in a very black mood. All was gloom and doom in the Sunshine State, as he warned Queensland was “on the way to being bankrupted” without tough…

Top contributors

More