Would you pay extra for the ABC?
A NEW report looking into the efficiency of the ABC and SBS recommends charging people to watch ABC content online, but the government is not so sure.
Economy
Carbon tax price hike on the way
AS the Coalition’s hope of repealing the carbon tax fades, Australian households will keep on paying it from July 1 — and the bill will be even bigger.
Greens to block fuel tax rise
THE Greens have dealt a blow to an Abbott government plan to reintroduce regular tax rises on fuel.
Palmer’s $70bn budget black hole
ONE of Clive Palmer’s signature election policies would blow a $70 billion-plus hole in the federal budget, we can reveal.
The one letter that could hurt us all
DISASTER with a capital D. A single capital O could have a major impact on Australia’s reputation in the Middle East.
Shorten somehow goes backwards
IN A surprise result, Bill Shorten has somehow gone backwards in the polls despite the government’s controversial Budget.
Budget won’t get in the way of shopping
DESPITE belt-tightening in the wake of the federal budget, 2014 is still shaping up as a strong year for retail.
Jobless steady at 5.8 per cent in May
AUSTRALIA’S unemployment rate was steady at 5.8 per cent in May, official figures show, with full-time employment rising to 8.06 million.
Calculator reveals uni fee hikes
AN average of $44,500 extra for a degree? A new calculator could prove to be a major weapon against proposed uni fee changes.
GDP grows 1.1 per cent in March
AUSTRALIA’S economy grew at its fastest pace in two years during the March quarter, boosted by a big surge in mining exports.
Cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent
THE Reserve Bank has opted to leave the cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent in June, but borrowers are being warned to brace for rises in future.
Do these guys know what they’re talking about?
SOME of Tony Abbott’s ministers should sit down and have a read of the Budget because they’re struggling with the facts.
This guy wants to tax you even after you die
THEY say two things in life are certain — death and taxes. But no one expected them to come at the same time.
He has a dorky hat and an urgent message
AND he’s going to tell you it over and over and over and over and over and over and over… and over and over and over again.
Abbott: Jobless can’t be picky
TONY Abbott said job seekers “have no right to hold out for the job of their dreams”, while he still believes his unpopular budget will pass the Senate.
’How I’ll bring foreign money home’
ALEXANDER Downer has only been in London for two days but the newly-appointed High Commissioner already has a plan to bring foreign investment to Australia.
Drugs, sex included in Italy’s GDP
ONLY in Italy. The country will include revenue from drug trafficking and the sex trade to calculate gross domestic product in a bid to boost economic results.
Doctors text patients over $7 fee fear
DOCTORS fear people are abandoning treatments because they think the cost of a visit to a GP already has gone up and they can’t afford it.
‘I shouldn’t have done it, Karl’
TONY Abbott has apologised to Australia for that controversial movement of his eyelid yesterday. And now ‘Gloria’ has spoken out.
Shorten: ‘PM is desperate’
OPPOSITION leader Bill Shorten said the Budget is built on Tony Abbott’s lies and says he’s “not a brawler” like the Prime Minister. Read his opinion piece.
What’s all the fuss about the GST?
IT’S the buzzword of the day that could see your shopping bill rise by 10 per cent. Here’s everything you need to know about GST but were too embarrassed to ask.
‘Cunning rat’ may save PM’s Budget
HE has been labelled “as cunning as a lab rat”, but Tony Abbott will be forced to woo Clive Palmer if he wants his Budget to work.
Australia’s AAA credit rating ‘at risk’
A CREDIT rating agency warns Australia could lose its AAA rating if the Budget doesn’t pass the Senate, prompting a new spat between Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten.
‘You can call it a tax…or a rabbit’
HE sat. And he squirmed. He called it a ‘payment’. He even said we could call it a ‘rabbit’. But Joe Hockey was finally forced to admit the $7 co-payment is a tax.
What’s Tony’s plan for your state?
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says our Federation is ‘dysfunctional’. He says we need to fix it. But what exactly does he have in mind and should we be alarmed?
Foreign aid axed as spooks survive
WHILE the AFP and spooks in the Australian Secret Intelligence Service had minor cuts, there’s been a massive reversal in fortune for the world’s poor.
What Hockey won’t say tonight
AS we wait to see what’s in the Budget, we’ll bet Joe Hockey won’t say any of these things. He’s probably thinking them though.
The Federal Budget drinking game
TONIGHT’S Budget will be a unique blend of pain and boredom. But you can turn the nightmare into a real hoot with our drinking game.
Joe Hockey’s box of Budget tricks … and cigars
THE Government is preparing to acknowledge it has gone back on some election promises but will justify pain by accusing Labor of having hid a financial disaster.
The 2014 Budget in a nutshell
THERE will be lots to dazzle voters in tomorrow night’s Budget as Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey show they are no wimps — but how will it affect your life?
Which state wins in the Budget?
JOE Hockey will tonight announce $40 billion of infrastructure spending and most of it will benefit commuters. How will your trip to work be affected?
PM’s pay freeze was already happening
IT was sold as a last-minute decision by the Government to freeze Federal MPs’ wages to ensure they were hit by Budget pain. But that wasn’t quite right.
14 awesome Australian inventions
WI-FI, Aerogard, plastic money. Who knew one government agency was responsible for such amazing inventions? But with massive budget cuts looming, here’s what’s at risk.
Why Budgets are like comic books
OPINION: Like a good comic book, Federal Budgets are a struggle between good and evil with superheroes and villains. So who will Joe Hockey be?
Why Budgets are like comic books
OPINION: Like a good comic book, Federal Budgets are a struggle between good and evil with superheroes and villains. So who will Joe Hockey be?
Budget up in smoke? MPs puff on cigars
THEY’VE said we must do the “heavy lifting” — to save our budget. Now Joe Hockey and Mathias Cormann have been caught sitting back smoking cigars.
Tony and Joe’s tough Budget love
OPINION: The Abbott government’s moment of budget truth has arrived and they are not after your love, so hold on to your hip pockets.
Should the young pay for the old?
WOULD you be prepared to pay more to help finance the retirement plans of octogenarians? That’s what former PM Paul Keating is suggesting Aussies do.
New kennel for PM’s attack dog?
EXPECTATIONS are growing for a post-Budget ministerial reshuffle with Tony Abbott considering a new niche for his favourite non-wimp Scott Morrison.
Jobless rate steady at 5.8 per cent
AUSTRALIA’S unemployment rate was steady at 5.8 per cent in April, official figures show.
Why you’ll pay more for petrol
MILLIONS of motorists could soon be paying more for petrol if the federal government decides to increase the fuel excise in next week’s budget.
The new cost of seeing the doctor
AUSTRALIANS are almost certain to pay a fee for the doctor, as the Prime Minister said “free services to patients are certainly not free to taxpayers.”
Abbott: Debt levy an ‘appropriate measure’
A DEBT levy in the form of tax increases is now certain in Tuesday’s Budget, and according to Tony Abbott “we are all in it together”.
‘We’re not doing this for fun’
FINANCE Minister Mathias Cormann has all but confirmed a debt tax is in the Budget, as Tony Abbott refuses to, saying “we’re all in this together”.
Politicians: You can’t trust them
TONY Abbott is in the middle of his ‘Gillard moment’, but he’s far from the first Australian politician to be caught out. Here’s the hall of shame.
How did we get in this mess?
AUSTRALIA made a big choice 13 years ago. Now it’s really starting to hurt our hip-pockets. And both parties are to blame.
The PM should ditch the debt tax
THE people hired Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey to fix the nation’s budget defict. Turns out, they underquoted for the job, writes Jessica Irvine.
RBA leaves rates on hold at 2.5 per cent
THE Reserve Bank has opted to leave the official cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent in May in a move that was widely expected by markets.
Hockey must pay off our credit card
OPINION: Higher taxes or lower spending, there’s no other solution to Australia’s budget woes, but how did it get so bad? Jessica Irvine explains.
This man is Abbott’s Debt-inator
HE EVEN speaks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Meet one of Tony Abbott’s favourite henchman. His mission? Exterminating debt.
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/business/economy/page/146