This Month
Federal borrowing to top states as $1 trillion debt milestone looms
The federal government will borrow more money than the states this year for the first time since the pandemic, heaping more pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
ACT Labor is bankrupting Canberra
The government in the nation’s capital is spending uncontrollably, inventing dishonest taxes and overseeing a flawed education system that is failing children.
June
Talk of tax is starting to consume Jim Chalmers’ reform summit
The propensity to chase revenue rather than rein in spending, or at least aim for a mixture of both, is beginning to loom large over the August roundtable.
June 2024
ACT targets living costs in pre-election budget
Chief Minister Andrew Barr says the economy is slowing and many parts of the community are enduring cost-of-living pain.
April 2023
States need fiscal revolution to avoid debt bomb
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey is laying the groundwork for a revamping of state government finances.
June 2022
GST fight looms over ‘hopeless’ population counts
The census revealed the ACT is the country’s fastest growing jurisdiction. But Chief Minister Andrew Barr says that shows the territory has been shortchanged.
October 2020
Banks, RBA must strike fine balance on state government bonds
There is a Churchillian task for the semi bond market. The RBA would love to see the commercial banks help absorb some of that extra bond supply in what would be another form of QE by stealth.
February 2020
Governments should work to end stamp duty
While many solutions to state-based tax have been punted, sustainable change requires reform across different revenue measures.
September 2019
Other states line up for housing debt write-off
A federal deal with Tasmania has triggered comparisons of which regions are most in need of housing relief.
June 2019
Infrastructure boom fuels states' debt bomb
States infrastructure booms are putting pressure on governments to sell more assets, with the release of the NSW and South Australian budgets showing unexpected increases in debt to fund capital spending.