The treasurer referred to the A$13 billion “zombie” measures the Senate has failed to pass as a “Senate tax”, in justifying the tax increases in this budget.
Lukas Coch
The budget was extraordinary in many ways. It is an abandonment of restraint on taxes by a liberal government. It is nakedly populist and it also acknowledges that government debt can be productive.
The government’s budget documents are full of forecasts about where the economy is headed.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The budget is full of forecasts about where the economy is going, but other indicators are often more helpful.
The federal government receives more revenue than the states so it divvies it up between them, but with conditions.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The reason for the constant struggle for funding between the states and federal government relates back to the constitution.
All of the increase in spending on social security and welfare is due to the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Dan Peled/AAP
If you look at past budgets, the proposed cuts in social security programs are disproportionate to the amount the government spends.
It’s become conventional wisdom that Australia has an infrastructure deficit – with remarkably little discussion of what that even means.
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How can we tell whether we have an infrastructure deficit? And if we do, how big is it?
The government has already made a number of policy announcements about taxes and transfers.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Amid a rash of leaks and pre-budget announcements, here’s what we know about what’s in and what’s not when it comes to taxes and transfers.
The Australian government needs to be concerned about our rising debt levels.
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In the latest in our Budget Explainer series, Mark Crosby explains debt and deficit and where Australia stands.
Fundamental shifts in the Australian economy have resulted in structural budget deficit.
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In our federal budget explainer series, Guay Lim explains what Australia’s structural deficit really means.
The key indicators of the health of the economy are the unemployment rate, inflation rate and economic growth.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
The key economic indicators to look out for on budget night.