This Month
Coalition to revive technical colleges, won’t commit to housing target
Peter Dutton claimed a $260 million pledge to establish new Australian technical colleges was another pillar of his housing affordability and accessibility policies.
Liberals want house prices to grow slower than wages
Peter Dutton declined to endorse comments from opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar on the campaign trail on Tuesday.
Coalition plan to lower lending standards ‘will drive up house prices’
A Peter Dutton-led government would direct the prudential regulator to lower the home loan serviceability buffer if it wins the federal election.
October 2024
Don’t blame HomeBuilder for inflation: economists
The Coalition and economists have rejected the pandemic inquiry’s criticisms of the $2.6 billion housing construction stimulus.
September 2024
PM yet to be convinced housing tax changes won’t hurt supply
The prime minister says Treasury is looking at ways to curb the use of negative gearing and capital gains tax, but it wasn’t his idea.
Clare O’Neil in housing policy hall of mirrors
Labor wholeheartedly adopted the First Home Buyer Guarantee Scheme upon winning office. And would go on to announce it many, many times.
August 2024
NDIS comes in $600m below budget as reforms bite
Budget measures to cap growth in the National Disability Insurance Scheme are beginning to bring the cost of the scheme under control.
January 2024
Fears NDIS alternatives won’t be enough to stop scheme growth
Disability advocates warn that reforms to prepare schools for a large number of children with autism will take too long and not be adequate to stem the growth of the NDIS.
August 2023
Doubts on Labor’s $3.5b fast-tracked housing plan
The Albanese government has offered state and local governments $3.5 billion in incentives to fast-track the construction of 1.2 million homes over the next five years.
June 2023
‘All about the game’: PM accuses Greens of policy fraud
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather acknowledged his opposition to the government’s $10 billion social housing fund is motivated by fomenting broader civil dissent against the growing wealth gap.
March 2023
Senate’s consultancy inquiry promises plenty of fallout
Besides PwC’s leaks scandal, senators face a strange trail of appointments by the former government.
Treasury reviews Tax Practitioners Board positions after PwC scandal
Board members can reapply for their roles as their terms on the Tax Practitioners Board expire in the aftermath of the PwC leaks scandal.
February 2023
Tax agent regulator gets more teeth in wake of PwC leaks
The Tax Practitioners Board will be given its own budget while loopholes that allow deregistered tax agents to continue operating will be closed.
PM faces pressure to rework $10b housing fund
The Greens want housing funded by appropriated revenue, not a volatile investment fund.
January 2023
How a paper tiger mauled PwC
Shock revelations by the Tax Practitioners Board offer the government a major reset of how it takes advice on tax policy from the big four accounting firms.
Uncapped NDIS has created new inequalities in healthcare
Repeated NDIS cost blowouts are causing alarm among healthcare advocates, who fear funding cuts in other areas.
Sukkar dismisses calls to sanction PwC over leaking scandal
The former assistant treasurer and PwC alumni cemented the big four firm’s position as the dominant supplier of government tax advice.
April 2022
Jane Hume on leaked text messages and getting women into politics
The minister for superannuation acknowledges that Australians are going to live through a hell of a campaign.
March 2022
Mortgage brokers escape Hayne crackdown on commissions
Mortgage brokers can keep their commissions after the government dumped plans to review the industry.
Labor to consider civilian disaster response workforce
The decision to create an emergency taskforce could be made within months of a Labor victory in the federal election.