March
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.
Is Katy Gallagher tough enough on spending to be finance minister?
The Canberran is responsible for the expenditure side of the budget. But that is at a 40-year high and there is no plan to rein it in.
A $1 trillion debt looms. There will be a price to pay for it
Treasurer Jim Chalmers may have delivered a politically clever budget, but he is amassing more on the national credit card without a plan to pay for it.
Labor gives bureaucrats 11.2pc pay rise, but that’s not the scary part
Labor has still put aside almost no money for rising public sector wages, even though hiring is booming and public servants will get a big income boost.
Stop the bloat: Coalition pushed to go harder on public service cuts
The Coalition should implement an immediate public service hiring freeze and launch a bureaucracy-wide audit to root out wasteful spending, according to a new plan.
David Pocock leaves the Climate 200 mothership
The first-term ACT senator has weaned himself off the political campaign group’s money. Some in the teal and independent movements say that’s not a bad thing.
Agency with half staff at home says it’s ‘saving taxpayer money’
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, where 50 per cent of staff work remotely, says its people strategy is a smart one.
Top bureaucrats say work-from-home has gone too far
Former Treasury boss John Fraser and former NDIA head Martin Hoffman say public servants need to be in the office regularly to collaborate.
February
Clare to return as Labor’s campaign voice
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Education Minister Jason Clare have been tapped to sell Labor’s message when Anthony Albanese is unavailable or unwilling to front the media.
How you’re paying for Facebook ads promoting Labor policies
Labor has ratcheted up taxpayer-funded advertising since the start of the year, including $100,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads in the past week.
January
Wage wars: Chaos as salary demands push state budgets to the brink
This week, simmering tensions between essential workers and cash-strapped governments caused mayhem around the country. Can leaders contain the fallout?
Rishworth takes NDIS in Labor reshuffle, Wells promoted to cabinet
Anthony Albanese praised Aged Care Minister Anika Wells for securing the sector’s most significant reforms “this century” as he announced her new position.
Coalition government will go back to basics on fiscal responsibility
Economic theory and empirical evidence demonstrates that a responsible approach to managing the nation’s budget is a prerequisite for prosperity.
Please explain: Treasury and Finance in hot seat over $7.4b black hole
The heads of Treasury and Finance are being urged to explain why no extra money was set aside to pay for public servant wage increases over the next three years.
Tax surge puts shock third budget surplus within reach
Soaring tax revenue so far this financial year has shrunk the federal budget deficit to half the size it was expected to be.
With a $7.4b black hole, Gallagher tries to explain the unexplainable
Budgeting no money for public servant wage rises may have made sense under a stingy Coalition, but it makes no sense under a Labor government hiring like mad.
$12b blowout in public servant wages since election
Labor is on track to spend at least $12 billion more on public servant wages than it forecast in its first budget, but says it has clawed back $4 billion by cutting down on outsourcing.
Labor’s $7.4b black hole from public service budget blunder
Labor has put aside almost no money for public sector wage rises despite already agreeing to increase the salaries of 185,000 public servants.
Cash for campaigns: Labor’s $251m ad splurge sparks criticism
Ad spending surged 40 per cent last year, as Labor spent millions publicising policies such as tax cuts, urgent care clinics, and fee-free TAFE courses.
Future Fund opposed investing in Future Made in Australia
Papers also reveal the $230b fund has been told to consider the government’s priorities of renewables, housing and infrastructure when voting on companies it invests in.