Jim Chalmers’ unseemly rush to legislate his future tax cuts this week is an attempt to fashion a tactical victory from the strategic failure of the budget.

With the election bearing down fast on a deeply disenchanted electorate, Labor wants to immediately wedge the Coalition. That these tax cuts are little more than a chimera worth a grand total of $5 a week in 15 months, and another $5 a week from July, 2027, doesn’t matter in a campaign document masquerading as a budget.