Today
What we expect in Tuesday’s federal budget
This week on The Fin podcast, political editor Phillip Coorey on what is likely to be announced in the federal budget and what it means for inflation and interest rates.
Yesterday
Ex CSIRO boss would pick different ‘winners’ in $1b quantum push
Larry Marshall, former CEO of CSIRO, says taxpayer money should be targeted at points in the quantum computing supply chain, not the finished product.
- Liam Walsh
- Opinion
- Opinion
The government goes bold to poke the inflation bear
The Albanese government, after being cautious with its spending in 2022 and 2023, has decided to take risks this year. The greatest is that it brings the RBA off the bench.
- Chris Richardson
Chalmers locks in business tax breaks to help Made in Australia
The budget will contain tax breaks for investors to turbocharge the government’s Future Made in Australia Act, Jim Chalmers has confirmed.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Jim Chalmers
Australia’s ‘dumb’ luck budget in one extraordinary chart
Treasurers have been extremely lucky to receive big tax revenue windfalls from the China-driven mining boom, but none have been as lucky as Jim Chalmers.
- John Kehoe
Everything we know about the budget, so far
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down Labor’s third budget on May 14. Here are all the spending measures we know about so far.
- Updated
- Tom McIlroy
- Exclusive
- Anthony Albanese
Labor’s plan to ‘restore faith’ in Qld
Anthony Albanese said Labor’s Future Made in Australia Act was key to “restore faith” with blue-collar Queenslanders, who deserted the party in 2019 over the confused position on the Adani coal mine.
- Phillip Coorey
This Month
Critical minerals boost from $566m plan to fully map Australia
Deposits of critical minerals and rare earths badly needed for the development of renewable energy technologies will be mapped, Anthony Albanese says.
- Tom McIlroy
Qantas must atone for all old baggage
Readers’ letters on the Qantas settlement; franking credits for retirees; the Coalition push for nuclear power; and Israel’s closure of Al Jazeera.
Victorian government to shrink for first time in 15 years
Victorian budget deficit rises, but surplus predictions brought forward; Biden warns Netanyahu to pursue ceasefire, not invasion. Follow updates here.
- Updated
- Maxim Shanahan
Petrol, strong jobs market stoking inflation: RBA
The central bank on Tuesday upgraded its near-term forecasts for headline inflation and pushed back the likelihood of interest rate relief until mid-2025.
- Ronald Mizen
- Updated
- Interest rates
Reserve Bank on high alert for rate rise
The RBA is “very alert” to the cost of stubbornly high inflation lingering in the economy, signalling interest rates will need to stay higher for longer.
- Ronald Mizen
Albanese pledges $500m for drought relief as Queensland fight heats up
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are squaring off at Beef Week in Rockhampton as the political fight in central Queensland gathers pace.
- Phillip Coorey
Chalmers’ budget to fight inflation first, spend up big second
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says his budget next week will avoid a “scorched earth” approach to fight inflation, but spending will come in the out years.
- Ronald Mizen
Labor warned on overheating western Sydney road spend
Labor said on Monday that its spending in the population growth area was now more than $17.3 billion.
- Tom McIlroy
The students to get Labor’s new ‘prac payment’, and who misses out
Too strict means-testing would make the federal government’s newly announced prac payment for university and TAFE students out of reach.
- Julie Hare
Israel warns Palestinians to evacuate Rafah ahead of possible attacks
Eastern Rafah residents told to evacuate; Chalmers warns against slash-and-burn approach to spending; Qantas settlement a quick win for consumers; murdered Australian surfers identified in Mexico. How the day unfolded.
- Tom Burton
Deeming cliff looms for 850k aged pensioners, welfare recipients
With inflation running high and cost-of-living pressures continuing to plague households, the government is being pressured to extend the freeze, or at least phase in, a higher deeming rate in the budget.
- Ronald Mizen
Big government spending to widen budget deficits
Next week’s federal budget will be expansionary, not contractionary as some economists have called for, and will do less to contain inflation and interest rate pressures than Jim Chalmers’ previous surplus budgets.
- John Kehoe
Labor to give teaching, nursing students $320 per week payment
Teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students will receive a weekly payment to help offset the costs of mandatory placements.
- Julie Hare