Given all we’ve been through in relation to political honesty, could we just set a “truth” baseline as we start another round of the GST debate? Tony Abbott is trying to give the impression that the future…
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Economist Ross Garnaut has predicted “trench warfare” over development projects, given the influence business now has with government. Delivering the John Freebairn lecture in Melbourne, Garnaut said it…
The budget hits 1.25 million low and middle income families with children on average by about $3000 a year in 2017-18 while it actually benefits upper middle and upper income families through removing…
The budget has driven the government’s vote down and pushed Bill Shorten decisively ahead of Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister, in two polls today. The Nielsen poll in Fairfax Media has the opposition…
The Abbott government does indeed face a budget emergency – how to handle a massive public fallout and a full-scale revolt by the states. The Nielsen poll shows the cost to the government and to Tony Abbott…
Angry first ministers have flatly rejected Tony Abbott’s claim that the budget cuts will not hit states and territories immediately and again demanded he call an urgent meeting of the Council of Australian…
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Stephen Parker and University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the difficult politics of the budget for the Abbott government, the push toward…
Despite its agonising birth, Joe Hockey will harbour hopes his first budget has taken him one step closer to his goal of eventually becoming prime minister. Any doubt about the Treasurer’s ambition would…
Opposition leader Bill Shorten has pledged Labor will vote against budget cuts to university funding and student support, declaring that it “will not support a system of higher fees, bigger student debt…
Former prime minister John Howard has said the GST should be broadened and its rate should perhaps be increased. As the government seeks - without admitting it - to put pressure on the states to ask for…
It’s clear the Abbott government wants change to the GST on the agenda but is anxious that others – notably the states – do the dirty work of putting it there. Treasurer Joe Hockey is understood to have…
Our budget coverage continues with interviews firstly with Finance minister Mathias Cormann and then Shadow Finance Minister Tony Burke. Listen to both interviews in this podcast.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has bluntly dismissed howls of outrage from Liberal premiers over the budget’s plan to push future funding responsibility for hospitals and schools on to the states. He has rejected…
The Liberal states of New South Wales and Victoria have sharply criticised the federal budget’s cost shifting on health and education, while the medical lobby has slated its $7 co-payment for visits to…
Professorial Fellow at the University of Canberra, Michelle Grattan discusses 2014-15 Federal Budget with former economics editor of The Age, Tim Colebatch. Listen the podcast here.
The Abbott government’s first budget is politically extremely radical but copybook cautious in its economics. A few hours before its delivery, Tony Abbott told the Coalition party room the budget reflected…
Treasurer Joe Hockey has bought down a budget that hits middle Australia with swingeing cuts and price hikes, while lauding smaller government and pushing increased responsibilities onto the states. Middle…
Despite its temporary income tax levy and the reintroduction of petrol excise indexation, Treasurer Joe Hockey’s first budget will reduce taxes by $5.7 billion in 2014-15. As it braces itself for a political…
The government is banking on the hope that eventually voters will be pleased enough about its performance to forget their anger about the broken promises in its first budget. It figures that comes judgement…
Amid the fractious political debate that dominates Canberra, there is suddenly a note of bipartisanship. The major parties want to stop the proliferation and success of “micro” parties, and now they’ve…
Sweeping changes to the electoral law to crack down on micro parties “gaming” the system to win Senate seats appear certain after unanimous recommendations from a parliamentary committee. The radical reforms…
In this edition of The Week in Politics, University of Canberra Vice Chancellor Stephen Parker is in discussion with Michelle Grattan about the upcoming Federal budget, the excise on petrol, broken pledges…
Now we learn that Tony Abbott’s pledge not to raise taxes will be broken on a second front. Tuesday’s budget will bring back the indexation of petrol excise. The measure won’t yield much revenue in its…
Former Treasurer Wayne Swan has accused the Abbott government and Commission of Audit head Tony Shepherd of “trashing” Australia’s record internationally “for base political motives”. In a bitter attack…
About to break trust with the voters, the government has brazenly decided to appeal to the public to “trust” it. Is someone trying to channel John Howard from the 2004 election when, accused of being untrustworthy…
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