The Budget Mirage And The Debts And Deficits Ruse

The Budget Mirage And The Debts And Deficits Ruse

It’s Budget time and we've spent the last week analysing the third Budget announcement from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Our verdict? Don’t believe the hype: it's not a ‘big-spending’ Budget; and it’s not a Budget the Labor Party would have introduced. We think it's yet another lost opportunity for the Australian economy and the community – just like Peter Costello squandering the mining boom in the early 2000s, this could be another chance to make positive long-term changes to government spending that ends up being flushed down the drain.

What would Labor do? We don't know: it's not the role of the Opposition of the day to provide itemised line items and specific policies the government and the media can then dissect and misrepresent – Albanese won't make the same mistakes Shorten made with the franking credits policy, where he allowed the Liberal Party too must scope to completely distort the intention of the scheme. Just the broad brush strokes of policy is all that's needed at the moment.

Will the Budget swing the next election for the Liberal–National Coalition? Both the Budget and the Budget Reply will be forgotten at the time of the next election, and the verdict will still come down to competence and who the electorate will trust on debts and deficits.

Episoder(311)

When a war criminal comes to town

When a war criminal comes to town

This today’s episode of the New Politics podcast, we explore the political firestorm surrounding Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney and why it became a nationwide flashpoint over Gaza, f...

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Thought Crimes and Punishment

Thought Crimes and Punishment

In this episode, we examine Australia’s newly passed anti-hate speech laws and ask when protecting communities crosses the line into criminalising dissent. Rushed through parliament after the Bondi te...

5 Feb 28min

America’s greatest threat: The United States

America’s greatest threat: The United States

In this episode, we examine growing global concern over the United States as political instability and erratic leadership under President Donald Trump increasingly undermine the post-1945 internationa...

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The Long-Read Essay: When dissent becomes a crime

The Long-Read Essay: When dissent becomes a crime

In this long-read episode, we revisit Australia’s anti-Semitism report from July 2025 and the growing politics of fear surrounding protest, free speech, and criticisms of Israel. As new federal anti-h...

22 Jan 25min

The Long-Read Essay: American Fascism and Trump Unmasked

The Long-Read Essay: American Fascism and Trump Unmasked

Donald Trump’s second presidency has exposed the United States’ rapid slide into authoritarianism, with chaos, corruption and unchecked executive power now defining American politics. In this long-rea...

15 Jan 19min

A Royal Commission too far? Power, pressure and the politics of Bondi

A Royal Commission too far? Power, pressure and the politics of Bondi

In this holiday episode, we cut through the noise surrounding calls for a Royal Commission into the Bondi attack and ask whether the process is truly about accountability or has become a vehicle for p...

8 Jan 12min

The Long-Read Essay: How Labor governs

The Long-Read Essay: How Labor governs

After its emphatic 2025 election victory, the Albanese Labor government entered the year with overwhelming parliamentary dominance and a clear mandate to govern boldly. On paper, it was a government w...

2 Jan 17min

The Long-Read Essay: Albanese On Trial

The Long-Read Essay: Albanese On Trial

This long-read audio essay examines the vilification of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the Bondi Beach memorial, and how national mourning was turned into a partisan spectacle. It explores how ...

26 Des 202522min

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