Budget 2016: Making everyone happy just too expensive for Scott Morrison and Government

OPINION: There are plenty of Liberal and Nationals MPs who will be staring at Wednesday’s newspapers hoping the Treasurer was right when he made this claim during his maiden Budget speech.

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HEY Australia, it’s a brand new day and things are like never before.

The 2016 Budget nursed into existence by newbie Treasurer Scott Morrison under the careful gaze of his equally fresh boss, Malcolm Turnbull, is, we were told over and over again, not typical and like nothing we’ve seen before.

This is all because you, the voters, have moved on from that “so 2015” winners/losers stuff and don’t care what’s in it for you or your Aunt Maud.

When explaining why he hadn’t followed the long-established tradition — going back as far as this Budget watcher can remember, which reaches into the end of the Fraser era — of including in the accompanying papers some tables about who gets what from the latest tax changes, Morrison told us to get with the 2016 program.

“The Australian people have moved on from all,” said Morrison with his trademark “butter wouldn’t melt” face on.

“They’re not interested in winners and losers.”

There are plenty of Liberal and Nationals MPs who will be staring at the newspapers this morning hoping the Treasurer is right.

That’s because there are a lot more losers than winners in this Budget, as making everyone — or anything close to everyone — happy is just way too expensive.

That’s why the tax cuts for wage slaves — and high-income people who can never be called slaves — only cut in once your annual income hits $80,000.

For many parts of Australia, including vast expanses of Queensland, that’s pretty well everyone. So a tax table would look blank to the left and then a little bit busy on the right-hand side.

Morrison says those low-income earners will benefit from new changes to superannuation tax rules, but that’s not something you can take to the cafe if you want a cup of coffee.

Treasurer Scott Morrison speaks to journalists ahead of his Budget speech. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The Budget is not going stand much scrutiny based on this analysis, which is fine, because come the weekend Turnbull will take centre stage and announce the already known election date of July 2.

As long as Labor’s Bill Shorten doesn’t blow the Budget out of the water tomorrow night when he delivers the Opposition’s official reply — and let’s remember it’s hard to blow a Budget without much content out of anywhere — Turnbull should have a clear run at the first day of what will be a very, very long election campaign.

What we did get to know on Budget day is that Morrison can answer any question with complete and utter conviction, regardless of the facts. In fact he living proof that the old adage about having your opinions but not having your own facts has its limits.

Turnbull, who stepped up as Liberal leader because he said he was a better communicator than Tony Abbott and would turn around the miserable run of polling, now faces his biggest test in what have been more than three decades of public life.

If he wins well, he’ll be hailed a hero and will have earned another three years on his terms. There’s hardly anyone alive who has self-belief and confidence that equals Turnbull’s own sense of destiny, so he won’t die wondering.

However, while Morrison may believe the Australian people have moved on from ranking winners and losers, politicians certainly haven’t.

And if they discover Turnbull is a loser they will be ruthlessly unforgiving.

Originally published as Budget 2016: Making everyone happy just too expensive for Scott Morrison and Government