National Treasury is incapable of coming up with the sweeping governmental, social and economic changes required to dig South Africa out of its economic hole.
A large part of the debt the Indonesian government is taking on to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is as a 50-year loan in US dollars. That could create a big problem in coming decades.
Michelle Grattan discusses the government’s new family law inquiry, and Australia being banned from the speaking list at the upcoming UN climate change summit.
With its recent budget changes, the government is proposing a rise in marginal tax rates across a wide band of middle incomes and a marginal tax rate cut for the top.
The government has made a concerted bid to reinforce Australia’s AAA credit credentials by ensuring the budget is still projected to return to surplus in 2020-21.
The federal deficit will be worse in 2017-18 than predicted in the May budget, despite some easing in the delays imposed by the Senate, Deloitte Access Economics’ budget monitor predicts.
The government and Labor have offered up competing packages of budget savings. The question of whether they can meet halfway will be a test for both sides.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has given notice of a fresh assault on the crucial challenge of budget repair. Let’s hope he and Malcolm Turnbull have learned from the unfortunate self-destructing experience…
The government will test Labor’s bona fides early in the new parliament with an ‘omnibus bill’ containing more than $6 billion in savings it says the ALP flagged at the election it would support.