Miranda Stewart, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University e Teck Chi Wong, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
In it’s first inclusion in the Open Budget Index of 115 countries, Australia ranks 12th.
Slightly more optimistic economic figures gives Scott Morrison and the Turnbull government a boost heading into 2018, as the charts explain.
Lukas Coch/AAP and The Conversation
Seven charts on the highlights from the government’s mid year update of the budget.
Watered down higher education measures, a stronger employment rate and lower than expected debt levels are the highlights for MYEFO 2017.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The government hasn’t abandoned its jobs and growth mantra in the budget update and remains optimistic despite lower growth and wages forecasts.
Each year the government runs a A$40 billion deficit, it increases the lifetime tax burden for households headed by a person aged 25 to 34 by A$10,000.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Unless the government is willing to increase taxes elsewhere to pay for tax cuts there will be longer-term costs for the budget and the economy. And younger Australians will wear these costs.
The 2017 budget contains initiatives that help alleviate some of the worst aspects of its predecessors. However, it doesn’t radically turn things around for women.
Pay packets rose just 0.5% in the first quarter.
bradleypjohnson/Flickr
Students on ‘enabling’ courses may now have to pay substantial fees under higher education reforms.
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen told the National Press Club that a Labor government would “show the ratings agencies the quality of our plans.”
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The S&P Global report cites the potential for low wage growth and low inflation as a ‘downside risk’ for the projections on getting to budget balance.
Urine samples can pick up some types of illicit drugs but can’t say whether that drug use affects someone’s ability to look for work.
from www.shutterstock.com
The proposal to drug test welfare recipients needs to be fine-tuned otherwise the government will be targetting the wrong people and be tied up in legal challenges.
Five thousand people on Newstart or Youth Allowance may be targeted for a drug test trial.
AAP Image/Dan Peled
The fund is nothing more than a rebadging exercise in the hope people might think it is a new policy. And it’s being used to airbrush public hospitals out of the Medicare picture.
Labor needs to convincingly discredit the 2017 budget to the point that the government cannot use it to help restore its standing in the eyes of voters.
Restoring and expanding Australia’s run-down public housing stocks will need an increase in funding on top of the reforms in the budget.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
The budget is pushing for a much-needed reboot of the social housing sector. What it isn’t offering is extra funding to renew and expand run-down housing stocks.
Bill Shorten runs past Old Parliament House in Canberra.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne