Today
Chalmers’ broken budget rule is a slippery slope in a world of debt
Australia has relatively moderate federal debt levels compared with most countries. But the picture is not so benign if ballooning state government debts are added.
Yesterday
Labor pushes for above-inflation minimum wage rise despite RBA warning
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has warned that increasing wages while productivity remains stagnant will put future interest rate cuts at risk.
RBA boss did not feel ‘political pressure’ from Chalmers
Michele Bullock refuses to say if Treasurer Jim Chalmers phoned her last year to complain about the RBA linking government spending to inflation pressures in the economy.
RBA has interest rate trigger for Trump trade war
The Reserve Bank of Australia isn’t quite sure what impact Donald Trump’s imminent next round of tariffs will have on inflation, but it is ready to act.
Bullock on alert for Liberation Day downturn
The RBA board has signalled it will not hesitate to cut interest rates if Australia gets pummelled by a global trade war, after holding the cash rate at 4.1 per cent.
March
Tax cut could leave 1.3m paying higher rate on super than income
The surprise tax cut in the budget will make the lowest income tax rate 14 per cent from 2027, but the concessional rate on super will stay at 15 per cent.
Boost business investment to restore lost prosperity
A 20 per cent investment allowance would be a start. But the focus should be on sharpening the overall international competitiveness of the economy
Mining exports to drop as commodity prices stagnate
Australia’s commodity exports are expected to fall almost 7 per cent, piling pressure on the government to cushion the impact ahead of the election.
Albanese targets Dutton’s seat as campaigns barnstorm Queensland
Anthony Albanese accused the Opposition Leader of appealing to voters’ worst instincts during his two decades in federal politics.
‘House of cards’: The election is missing the point on the economy
This will be a demoralising campaign for people interested in serious economic policy to revive the real incomes of millions of voters.
Why Albanese is confident of winning – partly thanks to Trump
The government quietly hopes the Trump effect will boost its chances, but the focus of the election campaign will be resolutely on domestic cost-of-living pressures.
Want to quit your job? Your contract may be keeping you prisoner
Non-compete clauses – now common in contracts from construction workers to hairdressers – are used not to protect secrets, but to scare people.
Dutton to force more gas into domestic market in power price pitch
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has fired a salvo on energy prices ahead of Friday’s announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of a May 3 election.
Seven in 10 new NDIS participants are children
The number of children on the National Disability Insurance Scheme is now double what was originally forecast, prompting warnings about its unsustainable growth.
The facts that burst Chalmers’ budget balloon
The treasurer has staked his claim of the “biggest ever” improvement in the budget bottom line on projections that proved to be wildly wrong.
PM set to call the election on Friday
Albanese’s department accidentally says government is in takeover mode on X; ANU staff support no confidence vote in leadership. How the day unfolded.
Dutton should step on the gas at the election
Voters don’t want to hear any more politicians going on about targets that will be never be met. They want to know when they’ll get affordable, reliable and abundant electricity again.
Dutton ups the ante on tax with fuel excise cut
Dutton says his petrol tax cut will give consumers more money more quickly than the tax cuts, and cost the budget far less.
Three budget problems bigger than the puny tax cuts
The pre-election row over the tax cuts is a political distraction from the substantive problems Jim Chalmers’ fourth budget fails to address.
Labor’s spending ‘diet’ not believable, economists warn
Labor’s budget forecasts for spending to decline slightly from a 40-year high are built on shaky savings assumptions economists say, and are unlikely to be achieved.