Essential: majority say no need for a fast return to surplusThe latest Essential poll reveals that 71% of the population are against returning to surplus if doing so means “cutting services and raises taxes” and 58% believe there is no rush, reports William Bowe.
Budget surplus
Budget surplus fetish means more harsh spending cuts
If the government is serious about guaranteeing an excess of revenue over expenses, it must make spending cuts now, writes Adam Creighton, a research fellow at The Centre For Independent Studies.
Kohler: surplus stupidity and the case for delaying carbon tax …
We are about to get a lesson in the absurdity of political discourse: the government is going to be accused of “breaking a promise” if a global downturn prevents the budget from returning to surplus by 2013. Or if it delays the carbon tax.
Essential: forget the surplus, voters say, and save us from cuts
Most voters would rather the federal government delay its back to black strategy and extend the deficit to stave off service cuts and tax hikes.
Kohler: the cost of our surplus obsession
The Australian Prime Minister is too worried about the fiscal balance and the US President is not worried enough.
Political snippets: Gillard and the ministry for funny coats
What is it about politicians that they love to get into fancy dress whenever they make an appearance with members of the military?
Van Onselen: Wong is prepared to slice and dice
If Julia Gillard is to make good on her promise to return the budget to surplus by 2012-2013 - and to maintain any notion of credibility she certainly needs to - the budget may have to take substantial cuts. That’s why she appointed Penny Wong as Finance Minister, writes Peter van Onselen.
Ask the economists: a brief boom, and then what?
In its latest Budget Monitor, Access says that while commodity revenues will benefit the bottom line in the short term by a total of $6 billion, outstripping Treasury’s predictions, things could turn sour as prices inevitably tail off towards the middle of the decade. Crikey asked for a consensus.
Brumby hailed as Mr Responsible as debt triples to $39b
With John Premier promising to triple Victorian state debt from $13 billion to $39 billion in the next six years, the best thing you can say about Victoria’s financial position is that all other states are worse off.
Returning to surplus within six years is hopelessly optimistic
Rudd will not be able to honour his pledge to keep the budget in surplus over the next cycle, says Rowen Cross — and he has the figures to prove it.
Of deficit, surplus and stimulus-a-thon
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the word on everyone’s lips was deficit, writes Bernard Keane.
Rudd spends the surplus, kills the dream
The Rudd dream of nation-building is over, for the rest of this term at least and probably for a while after that, writes Bernard Keane.
Worshipping the cult of budget surpluses
Today’s battle of the Budget leaks shows the game of expectations management about the size of the budget surplus is well underway, writes Bernard Keane.
Another tick for Costello financial management. Not
Market talk says that the Future Fund has dropped close to $10 billion amid the recent turmoil. Is Peter Costello to blame? Christian Kerr investigates.
Alan Kohler: 2007 another good election to win
The reason I think Kevin Rudd and the ALP will be good for investors is not part of the election campaign, and probably won’t be: they are likely to be better managers of prosperity than John Howard.
Tax cut pledge prove a bigger surplus isn’t better
John Howard and his Treasurer, Peter Costello, have begun the election campaign with an incredible admission – that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to a surplus, writes Christian Kerr.
