Insiders concede surprise at the force of the backlash against the government’s tax package but dismiss suggestions the late reversals are a retreat from the principles of reform.
In a welcome sign for first-home buyers, Labor’s tax reforms are already helping to drive prices lower, but the government won’t be touting its success.
Although the government was prepared for a debate over housing following its budget, it was blindsided by a meme war over capital gains and a non-existent ‘death tax’.
Labor’s budget has been met with the fiercest negative media campaign since Julia Gillard’s carbon tax, but the party is no longer scared of News Corp.
Workers under the age of 18 are missing out on $400 million a year in superannuation, a situation the government is still unwilling to compel big businesses to correct.
The hard-won pay deal for Victorian teachers has highlighted shortfalls in how public schools are funded and staffed, so why is the state government forgoing $2.4 billion in much-needed money for the poorest schools?
Jim Chalmers pitched his budget as risk-taking and ambitious – the question is whether it will reshape Australia’s future into one that is fairer and more promising.
