Former Treasurer Wayne Swan first introduced the idea of a post-election costing of policies.
Reuters
The 2016 post-election report from the Parliamentary Budget Office lacks context and comes too late to inform voters.
The budget repair necessary to keep Australia’s AAA credit rating seems even less likely after the election.
Craig Golding/AAP
Budget repair seems even less plausible after this election and this is the main risk to Australia’s AAA credit rating.
Australia PBO could be more politically active.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Business Briefing: how does Australia’s policy costing agency, the PBO, compare?
The Parliamentary Budget Office is being used to cost policies in this election but could it be more politically active?
What does the budget hold for health care?
from www.shutterstock.com.au
This is a steady-as-she goes budget, mostly just confirming pre-announcements with only the expected unpleasant decisions, such as the continuation of the Medicare rebate freeze.
This year’s federal budget will be a tricky affair for government and opposition.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The impending election will mean a lot of spin and little substance from both sides of government in this year’s federal budget.
During the 1990 budget speech.
National Archives of Australia
Michelle Grattan takes a look back at some memorable budget moments.
David Cameron deceives us once again.
Stefan Rousseau / PA Archive/Press Association Images
The government used careful wording to pull the wool over our eyes about NHS spending.
The budget papers aren’t so scary, if you know how to read them.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Never been in a budget lockup? Here’s a cheat guide to finding what you need to know about the federal budget.
Ghana’s Finance Minister Kwabena Duffuor holds a briefcase containing the Government Budget for the year 2010/2011.
Hereward Holland/REUTERS
African countries such as Ghana are leading the way in budget transparency with what is known as “citizen budgets”.
Should students pay more towards their degree?
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In the May Budget, the government may look for ways to shift the costs of higher education from the taxpayer to the student.
Paul Clintock, chairman of CEDA, says the report is trying to bring a balanced perspective to the budget debate.
CEDA
The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) is trying to refocus debate on repairing the budget for the future.
Hola cola.
Monkey Business Images
George’s medicine for health crisis is welcome, but not marvellous.
Sweet sorrow.
Dominic Lipinski/PA
Why Britain’s obesity crusader could be heading for disappointment.
Energy in South Africa did not feature as a major part of the 2016 budget speech – unlike in 2015.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan left energy analysts disappointed by not discussing the topic in much detail.
South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan delivers his 2016 budget address to parliament in Cape Town.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
South Africa’s finance minister delivered a good mix of macro and micro-economic strategies to ensure the country survives economic uncertainty, restores confidence and achieves some growth.
Even Congress gets into the Christmas spirit.
Reuters
Future taxpayers were the big losers of the trillion-dollar budget deal, who will have to shoulder the burden of higher interest payments.
Could zero-based budgeting make this thing slimmer?
Reuters
The budgeting method seems to be back in vogue 39 years after Jimmy Carter introduced it to the federal government. So what is it and can it change our free-spending ways?
A budget without bite for tackling a shortfall of homes.
FreddieBrown
The budget contained some major housing reforms, but the chancellor had no answer to the sector’s number-one problem.
Budget day: why wait a year for the next one?
EPA
David Cameron has tried to claim the clothes of social justice for the Conservatives. It’s time he took them off.
Two sides of the same coin? Convergence theory explains why the Labor and Liberal parties are often closer together on issues than they like to portray.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Convergence theory – which holds that the main Australian political parties will, over time, converge upon near-identical policy positions on most issues – was on full display during budget week.