Australian budget

By Leith van Onselen Thinktank, the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), has released a report, entitled Why We Need NAPLAN, defending the NAPLAN school testing system, claiming it is a valuable and accurate assessment tool.

By Leith van Onselen Last week, we attacked the hypocrisy of former Treasurer Peter Costello for slamming the Turnbull Government for not doing enough to reduce government debt, given it is precisely the policy decisions made when he was Treasurer that has placed the Federal Budget in its current precarious position.

By Leith van Onselen Senate cross-benchers – One Nation and the Centre Alliance – which together control five Senate seats have demanded the Federal Government legislate income tax cuts proposed for 2018-19 separately from future tax relief outlined in last week’s 2018 Budget.

Nice one from Ross Gittins yesterday: How has this unexpected but wonderful turnaround been achieved?

By Leith van Onselen Late last year, the Turnbull Government implemented university funding reforms to make it harder for students to access the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) for courses that have poor employment prospects, thereby effectively ending the demand-driven university system established by the Gillard Labor Government.

And the loser is polling.

Via David Crowe: “Over the short-term, it’s quite clear that these are modest tax changes and that Labor are ahead in terms of what they offer,” said Australian National University associate professor Ben Phillips.

Let’s take an amusing trip down memory lane to assess WA Budget forecast performances.

By Leith van Onselen In Tuesday’s Budget speech, Treasurer Scott Morrison proclaimed that the Government is “busting congestion in our cities” and announced “a $1 billion Urban Congestion Fund to support projects at a State level to fix pinch points and improve traffic flow and safety”.

Via The Guardian: Bill Shorten has pledged to “go further and do better” for low and middle-income Australians, supporting the Turnbull government’s first phase of budget tax cuts, and then almost doubling the tax relief from 2019-20 for up to 10 million workers.

By Leith van Onselen The Federal Budget’s decision to slash the permanent funding of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) by $26 million to $320 million by 2020-21, as well as cut staff numbers at the agency by 30 investigators, has been slammed by Labor MP and former federal prosecutor, Matt Keogh.

Cross-posted from The Conversation: In the federal budget, Treasurer Scott Morrison promised tax cuts to all working Australians in the form of an offset and changes to tax income thresholds.

By Leith van Onselen Since the 7-Eleven migrant worker scandal broke in 2015, there has been a regular flow of reports about the systemic abuse of Australia’s various migrant worker programs and visa system, as well as widespread wages theft across multiple business lines.

By Leith van Onselen The chorus calling for a lift in Australia’s pathetically low Newstart Allowance for unemployed workers (the ‘dole’) is getting too loud to ignore.

By Leith van Onselen Analysts have attacked last night’s Budget measure to assist 20,000 more older Australians stay in their homes, claiming it will worsen housing affordability by locking-up family friendly homes.

By Leith van Onselen The Turnbull Government’s stubborn insistence on cutting Australia’s company tax rate to 25% from 30% has hit an insurmountable roadblock, with the four crucial Senate cross-benchers required to pass the legislation digging in against the package.

Or in the common tongue, bullshido.

By Leith van Onselen According to this year’s Budget papers, every dollar the federal government invests in infrastructure it would deliver a return of $4 to the economy.

By Leith van Onselen The Australian has reported that this year’s Federal Budget has slashed funding for apprenticeships by $200 million: Federal funding promised for apprenticeships and training by 2021 has been cut by $200 million as a revenue shortfall forces the government to overhaul and extend its troubled skilled workers fund.

By Leith van Onselen In years gone past, the Federal Budget gave us a clear indication of the size of Australia’s immigration program for the year ahead by explicitly publishing the intake.