The Abbott government’s first budget is politically extremely radical but copybook cautious in its economics. A few hours before its delivery, Tony Abbott told the Coalition party room the budget reflected…
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Treasurer Joe Hockey has bought down a budget that hits middle Australia with swingeing cuts and price hikes, while lauding smaller government and pushing increased responsibilities onto the states. Middle…
Despite its temporary income tax levy and the reintroduction of petrol excise indexation, Treasurer Joe Hockey’s first budget will reduce taxes by $5.7 billion in 2014-15. As it braces itself for a political…
The government is banking on the hope that eventually voters will be pleased enough about its performance to forget their anger about the broken promises in its first budget. It figures that comes judgement…
Amid the fractious political debate that dominates Canberra, there is suddenly a note of bipartisanship. The major parties want to stop the proliferation and success of “micro” parties, and now they’ve…
Sweeping changes to the electoral law to crack down on micro parties “gaming” the system to win Senate seats appear certain after unanimous recommendations from a parliamentary committee. The radical reforms…
In this edition of The Week in Politics, University of Canberra Vice Chancellor Stephen Parker is in discussion with Michelle Grattan about the upcoming Federal budget, the excise on petrol, broken pledges…
Now we learn that Tony Abbott’s pledge not to raise taxes will be broken on a second front. Tuesday’s budget will bring back the indexation of petrol excise. The measure won’t yield much revenue in its…
Former Treasurer Wayne Swan has accused the Abbott government and Commission of Audit head Tony Shepherd of “trashing” Australia’s record internationally “for base political motives”. In a bitter attack…
About to break trust with the voters, the government has brazenly decided to appeal to the public to “trust” it. Is someone trying to channel John Howard from the 2004 election when, accused of being untrustworthy…
Australia’s Chief Scientist, Ian Chubb, has called on company chief executives to speak out in the public debate about climate change. Chubb said corporate managers and investors knew that climate change…
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann today has effectively confirmed the budget will contain a tax levy on high-income earners and appealed to Australians to “trust” the government. Cormann said the government…
“You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold 'em”, and Tony Abbott would be showing some political nous if he folded his tax levy now. Newspoll in Tuesday’s Australian shows how a hashed pre-budget…
Senior Liberal backbencher Warren Entsch says the Commission of Audit has “frightened the bejeezus” out of old people and warned that the government’s proposed deficit tax levy will hit the government’s…
Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne has proposed a drastic change in the rules covering political donations. Pyne on Sunday said organisations – including trade unions and corporations - should be banned…
As the government hosed down both expectations and alarm over the Audit Commission’s more radical recommendations, Treasurer Joe Hockey announced that on the pension age, the budget will be bolder than…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has cancelled plans to fly to Bali early next week to meet Indonesian premier Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The visit had been at the President’s invitation and would have been their…
In this edition of The Week in Politics, University of Canberra Vice Chancellor Stephen Parker is in discussion with Michelle Grattan about the radical blueprint for Australia that has been put forward…
The Abbott government is like the farmer supposed to be burning a paddock of stubble who ends up with the whole property in flames. Maybe it will be able to pull things together in the May 13 budget but…
The Greens find themselves in an exquisite dilemma. Tony Abbott’s revised paid parental leave scheme is now broadly in line with their policy. But can they, in the circumstances of a harsh budget, dance…
Tony Abbott will interrupt his work on the budget to make a rushed trip to Bali early next week for his first face-to-face encounter with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono since the revelations…
Veteran Labor senator John Faulkner wants Senate candidates chosen by the party rank and file – but the NSW party has ensured his successor will be selected by the present, faction-dominated system. Faulkner…
Tony Abbott has reluctantly lowered the cap on his signature paid parental leave scheme from $150,000 income level to $100,000 - declaring he would have preferred to stick with the original policy. The…
A fortnight out from budget day Tony Abbott looks to need Houdini’s skills to get out of the prison of his own promises. Those prolific pledges he made so confidently before the election. Negative commitments…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott today struggled to reconcile a mooted “deficit reduction levy” with his promise not to raise taxes, while also fending off attacks from within the Coalition on his expensive…
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