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Federal budget 2015: Winners and losers
Are you one of the winners or losers from this year's budget?
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- Your five-minute guide to the budget
- The Pulse: Live coverage from Parliament
- Joe Hockey steadies ship and sets sail for growth
- Michael Gordon: Houdini Hockey plots Tony's great escape
- Ross Gittins: Political fortunes will be restored, but at a cost
- Backpackers hit with higher taxes
- Federal budget 2015: Full coverage
PENSIONS AND WELFARE
Winners
- Young unemployed will have to wait four weeks instead of proposed six months to access the dole.
- Young people between 22 and 24 will have access to higher Newstart payments (instead of Youth Allowance) until July 2016.
- Jobseekers over 50: Employers will receive up to $10,000 over 12 months, up from 2 years in the previous budget if they hire and keep an older worker.
- Widows: $900,000 over four years to exclude people who get the Widow Allowance from a one-week waiting period.
Losers
- Welfare system defrauders: $1.7 billion saved from increased fraud prevention and debt recovery.
- Rich pensioners: $2.4 billion saved over five years by increasing asset test threshold and taper rate for the pension.
FAMILIES
Winners
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- Shift workers and nannies: $246 million over two years for a nannies trial
- Disadvantaged families: $327.7 million extra over four years to help vulnerable and disadvantaged kids access childcare
- Adoptive parents: $33.7 million for a national support service for people adopting from overseas
Losers
- Anti-vaccinators will no longer qualify for family and childcare benefits
- Big families will lose the Family Tax Benefit A large family supplement, saving $177.3 million
- New mothers: Almost $1 billion saved by stopping women accessing work and government PPL schemes
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
Winners
- Scientific researchers: National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy refunded for two years at $300 million
- Car manufacturers: $105 million to flow in industry assistance
Losers
- University graduates living overseas will have to repay HECS debts
- The Australia Council: Arts funding cut and redirected to Attorney-General's Department
- Screen Australia: Cuts
BUSINESS
Winners
- Small business: Tax rate cut from 30 per cent to 28 per cent or a tax discount of up to $1000 for small businesses not run as companies.
- Small businesses with turnover less than $2 million will be able to claim $20,000 tax deduction for every item they purchase.
- Employees in start-ups will get access to tax breaks on shares they receive as part of their pay.
- Retailers: To benefit from end of fringe benefits tax on portable electronic devices for small businesses
- Northern Australia will get a $5 billion infrastructure concessional loan scheme
- Car makers will receive $783 million due to reversal of previously announced cuts
Losers
- Offshore retailers/consumers: GST will be charged on goods sold to Australians
- Long lunchers: Fringe benefits tax for meals and entertainment capped at $5000 per person.
- Foreign backpackers will no longer qualify for the $20,000 tax free threshold.
- Remote workers face a tax crackdown
HEALTH
Winners
- Medical researchers receive $400 million for research projects
- Living organ donors: Recovery leave extended from 6 to 9 weeks
- Women: New cervical cancer test means less frequent pap smears
- Cancer patients: New drugs for bowel and breast cancers and melanoma
Losers
- Anti-vaccinators lose childcare subsidies and family benefits if children aren't vaccinated
- Chronically ill: Will have to spend more to qualify for free scripts
- States: Hospital funding shortfall remains
FOREIGN AID AND IMMIGRATION
Winners
- Cambodia, Nauru and Papua New Guinea are largely spared from aid cuts
- Australian borders: Bolstered surveillance and patrolling of Australia's borders
- Townsville and Sunshine Coast Airports: Gain permanent border clearance services worth $26 million
Losers
- Refugee Council of Australia: Government funding of $140,000 has been cut
- Africa: Aid cut by 70 per cent
- Indonesia: Aid cut by 40 per cent
INFRASTRUCTURE
Winners
- Northern Australia businesses and states get access to $5 billion in loans
- South-west Sydney motorists: $2.9 billion in upgraded roads
- Businesses eyeing privatisation of interstate rail tracks
Losers
- Public transport users, after Tony Abbott refuses to fund urban projects
- Victoria facing demands to hand back $1.5 billion of East West Link cash
- Sydney residents hoping for a rail link to new airport
DEFENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Winners
- The Australian Secret Intelligence Service: $296 million for new IT systems.
- Diplomats: New building for Australia's embassy in Washington, new diplomatic posts elsewhere.
- Phone and internet firms: $131 million towards cost of keeping customers' "metadata" for at least two years.
Losers
- Jihad propagandists: Government to spend $22 million combating online extremism.
- Office of National Assessments: $7.6 million to the office that advises the Prime Minister on national security.
ENVIRONMENT
Winners
- Great Barrier Reef: Extra $100 million over four years
- Climate Change Authority: $6.1 million over two years
- Farmers: $70 million from July 2016 for depreciated water facilities, storage and fencing
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Losers
- Green Army $73.2 million in savings over four years
- Clean Energy Finance Corporation: No new money
- Landcare: $12.3 million cut from National Heritage Trust over five years
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