Australian budget

By Leith van Onselen Nobel Prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, has urged the Abbott Government to abandon its austerity drive and increase public spending.

By Leith van Onselen The Palmer United Party (PUP) is proving to be a major thorn in the side of Abbott Government, today vowing to oppose the Government’s repeal of Labor’s carbon tax compensation – a move that will punch another $700 million hole in the Federal Budget, according to The AFR.

Cross-posted from The Conversation In deciding to vote against the restoration of fuel excise indexation, the Greens have let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

By Leith van Onselen Times are certainly changing.

By Leith van Onselen Social services minister, Kevin Andrews, was out and about over the weekend arguing that wider workforce participation rates will be needed amongst seniors and women in order to reduce the economic and budgetary pressures arising from an ageing population.

Cross-posted from The Conversation One month on, the job of selling Australia’s budget continues.

By Leith van Onselen Little by little, the stupidity of the 12-kilometre ACT light rail project, connecting Gungahlin in the north and Civic, is coming to light.

By Leith van Onselen Treasurer Joe Hockey last night delivered a speech to the Sydney Institute, in which he vigorously defended last month’s Federal Budget and attacked opponents for engaging in 1970s-style “class warfare”.

By Leith van Onselen The New South Wales Government has announced a plan to sell-off half of its electricity distribution network for $20 billion to fund investment in a new rail crossing under the harbour.

By Leith van Onselen I argued a few weeks back why the Australian Government should ditch the search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), which went missing around three months ago, taking with it 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 14 nations.

By Leith van Onselen Federal Treasurer, Joe Hockey, has pulled rank today, leaping to the defence of his leader, Tony Abbott’s, flawed paid parental leave (PPL) scheme.

By Leith van Onselen For months, Tony Abbott’s $5.5 billion a year Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Scheme has been condemned from every corner.

By Leith van Onselen Per Capita has released its 2014 Tax Survey, which revealed “a marked turnaround in Australians’ attitudes to public spending and tax over the last 18 months”.

By Leith van Onselen I noted on Tuesday how the Western Australian Government’s iron ore forecasts were far too optimistic, and risked blowing a big hole in the state Budget.

By Leith van Onselen Australian Treasury Secretary, Martin Parkinson, has once again outlined in no uncertain terms why fundamental budgetary reform is essential, and how Australians seem to be suffering a “reality gap” in failing to understand why current Budget settings are unsustainable.

By Leith van Onselen The Queensland Budget was released yesterday afternoon, the centre-piece of which is the plan to raise $33.6 billion through the sale, privatisation, and leasing of public assets in a bid to pay-down debt and invest in further infrastructure.