Wish list for a budget week that was never meant to be
Instead of talking about big reforms so near to a tight election, both major parties will probably spend the week trading political blows over cost-of-living concerns.
The federal budget that the Albanese government never planned to deliver will be mostly a damp squib. This was more or less confirmed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who downplayed expectations of any major announcement last week and followed on Sunday with yet another cost-of-living sugar hit in the form of more power bill relief.
With an election to be called possibly as early as next Sunday, neither side of politics will talk frankly about the fiscal challenges facing Australia which have been made more pressing by the global volatility unleashed by Donald Trump’s return to the White House 62 days ago.
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The Australian Financial Review’s succinct take on the principles at stake in major domestic and global stories – and what policy makers should do about them.
