Menu Close

Articles on Budget 2019

Displaying 1 - 20 of 31 articles

The update has slashed growth and surplus forecasts, as the economy is buffeted by global and domestic pressures. Lukas Coch/AAP

Lower growth, tiny surplus in MYEFO budget update

The projected surplus has been revised down from A$7.1 billion at budget time to $5 billion for this financial year.
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe (right) says he needs government help to boost the economy. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is yet to provide it. Dan Himbrechts/AAP

We asked 13 economists how to fix things. All back the RBA governor over the treasurer

Every one of the 13 economists surveyed by The Conversation thinks more stimulus is needed. None think it should all come from the Reserve Bank. Most think the budget surplus can wait.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann unveil a budget outcome as good as balanced on Thursday. Lukas Coch/AAP

The big budget question is why the surplus wasn’t big

A big surplus will come. It should be saved for something important, not simply spent.
Compulsory super takes money out of the government’s coffers faster than savings on the pension put it back in. Shutterstock

Boosting super will cost the budget more than it saves on age pensions

It is widely believed that compulsory super saves the government money on pensions. It does, but nowhere near enough to pay for the accompanying tax concessions. Lifting compulsory contributions will make things worse, for a century.
According to new research, the ABC stands to lose A$783 million in total funding by 2022, unless steps are taken to reverse budget cuts. Shutterstock

The ABC didn’t receive a reprieve in the budget. It’s still facing staggering cuts

Yes, the ABC received A$43.7 million to continue funding its ‘enhanced news gathering’ operation in the 2019 budget, but this is a drop in the bucket compared to how much it stands to lose.
Dancers perform a scene from the Sydney Dance Company’s WOOF: the arts are one of the ways we make sense of our place in an increasingly confusing, and confused, world. Joel Carrett/AAP

Missing in action: a vision for the arts in the 2019 budget

Where is the nation-building cultural vision, the statement of cultural aspiration in this budget?
Skat was the name of the Danish tax agency. It’s also a term of affection. Shutterstock

Tax: in Denmark it is a term of affection

Other countries seem happy to pay more tax than we do, and they are among the world’s top performers.

Top contributors

More