Federal budget
Opinion
Opinion
What we weren’t told before the election: taxes to rise, not fall
The simple, obvious truth is that if we want more services without loss of quality, we’ll have to pay higher taxes.
- by Ross Gittins
Latest
Opinion
Opinion
Treasury boss’s quiet message: Higher taxes are the cure for our budget blues
Election campaigns are full of all the wonderful things the politicians want to do to improve the services we get and reduce the taxes we pay. It’s after the election that pollies present the bill.
- by Ross Gittins
Exclusive
Art
National Gallery of Australia faces $67 million black hole
Home to more than 166,000 works of art, the National Gallery of Australia needs to find more than $67 million to upgrade its Canberra home.
- by Linda Morris
Opinion
Energy prices
Labor ministers making the right noises, but can they stay in tune?
A second chance at power is a rebirth, an opportunity to do things differently. Tony Burke and a number of his Labor colleagues are tuning up right now to take advantage of that rare opportunity.
- by Michelle Grattan
Exclusive
Disability
‘Just blitz that waiting list’: Shorten eyes NDIS legal blowouts
Bill Shorten has vowed to crack down on providers overcharging for services claimed on the NDIS and clear the backlog of thousands of legal appeals.
- by Katina Curtis
Budget to deliver cost-of-living relief, but you will have to wait
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says there will be a cost-of-living package in his October budget, but extra spending will be limited amid concerns about the state of the nation’s finances.
- by Shane Wright
Like his ‘doppelganger’ George Clooney, this economist seeks a new act
Chris Richardson is one of the country’s best-known economists and he reckons he’s the spitting image of George Clooney. He’s now using his colourful approach to argue for changes to key economic policies.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
ALP
Labor’s spending audit welcome, but budget trickery can cut both ways
As they carry out an audit of their predecessor’s spending and identify areas of potential waste, Labor needs to ensure it is transparent about its own unallocated funds.
- by Jessica Irvine
Exclusive
Roads
Roads, railways and dams in firing line amid efforts to repair battered budget
Tens of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure spending could be axed or delayed as the new government seeks to repair the budget bottom line.
- by Shane Wright, Rachel Clun and Katina Curtis
Everybody hurts: Chalmers says there will be pain as rates rise
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has used his first press conference to warn financial pain was coming for Australians as interest rates were pushed up by the RBA.
- by Shane Wright
Chalmers back to treasurer’s office with same issue ahead - inflation
In 2007, the biggest issue facing then-treasurer Wayne Swan was inflation. Jim Chalmers, working for Swan at the time, now faces the same challenge.
- by Shane Wright