A soft budget - if you overlook the nasty bits still there from last year – with more giveaways than takeaways inevitably fanned talk of a possible double dissolution this year.
The government has sent a clear message that it does not trust the Australia Council to do its bidding.
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With this budget, this government has sent a clear message that it does not trust the Australia Council to do its bidding – and that it will now pursue its own funding agenda for the arts.
The federal government wants to stop terrorists groups recruiting Australians online.
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A national domestic violence crisis hotline is still under-funded and unable to keep up with demand, after the 2015 federal budget delivered only a few short-term measures on domestic violence.
The move away from arms-length funding represents a fundamental shift in the way arts funding will be administered.
Lukas Coch/AAP Image
Since the foundation of the Australia Council arts funding has been administered at arms length. The fine print of this year’s Budget is set to change that.
Spending on infrastructure in the federal budget appears to serve mainly political aims.
AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
Environment minister Greg Hunt hasn’t asked for any more money for the Emissions Reduction Fund. So what is actually in the budget, as far as climate change is concerned?
Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt at last year’s Green Army launch. Funding for the initiative has been slimmed down but is still more than A$700 million.
AAP Image/Britta Campion
The Federal Budget 2015 makes little mention of emissions reductions or renewable energy, but does feature funding boosts for drought assistance and the Great Barrier Reef. What else is in?
The shift in the government’s approach to budget repair requires a level of cognitive dissonance.
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Charis Palmer, The Conversation; Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation e Diana Hodgetts, The Conversation
The Commission of Audit set the high water mark for reform designed to protect Australia against an economic downturn. One year on, little of it has made it into policy.
Despite being rolled twice, the budget is trying again with fee deregulation.
AAP/Julian Smith
Today’s budget fails to provide any new incentives to a Senate that is going to need a strong reason to give the deregulation bill a third run.
In his first budget and in opposition, Joe Hockey’s single-minded focus was on cutting the budget debt and deficits. For his second budget he’s telling a different story.
AAP/Paul Miller
Joe Hockey’s first budget was a declaration of ideological belief. The second is about political survival and depends on breathing life back into the economy – the ideological urgency can wait.
Monetary policy is more nimble than fiscal policy.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
A neutral fiscal policy stance should be the general rule for Australia. It is unwise to attempt to use the federal budget to manage economic growth.
Treasurer Joe Hockey has announced new rules allowing the Tax Commissioner will have the power to to recover unpaid taxes and issue a fine of an extra 100% of unpaid taxes, plus interest.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
The government has dropped plans to index age pensions to CPI and opted instead to tighten income and assets test. These are welcome changes but more needs to be done.
There were no nasty surprises for the arts in the 2015 Budget – but plenty of worrisome rhetoric.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
There were no truly nasty surprises in last night’s Budget for the arts – but clear discomfort was expressed with the “arms-length” approach that hitherto has guided the allocation of arts funding.
Facilities funded under NCRIS, such as the Murchison Widefield Array, will continue to be supported under this budget.
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