Treasurer Jim Chalmers putting the finishing touches on tonight’s Federal Budget. Photo: Jim Chalmers.
Despite having an extended bad trot in opinion polls and despite not really intending to deliver a deficit just before calling an election, the Federal Government is well placed to use tonight’s Federal Budget (25 March) to its advantage.
Labor has had a slight upswing in polling since ex-tropical cyclone Alfred – which just happened to coincide with a string of conflicting policy messages from the Coalition – and it has just enjoyed a thumping win in WA at the state level.
It’s too soon to say the tide has turned for the Federal Government, but it is making the most of the little wave it’s riding to the election announcement.
Anthony Albanese is taking his government full term whether he likes it or not, but once the budget is delivered, Australians can expect to learn the election date very soon.
It could be announced this weekend – or even this Friday.
The government’s strategy now is to dish out some good news in the budget (to counter the deficit it has to reveal) and then before Senate Estimates can even get a grip on the figures, fire the starter’s gun on the election campaign.
A shortened estimates schedule has been brought forward to this Thursday (27 March) and has the potential to be little more than white noise with all eyes and ears fixed on election timing.
Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech is also set for Thursday and will be a telling moment for the nation as much as it will be for the Opposition Leader himself.
The voting public wants to see an economic strategy from the Coalition.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will deliver his budget reply speech on Thursday. Photo: Peter Dutton Facebook.
The numbers voters are keen to hear about are those that affect their own hip pockets and quality of life.
Those are the figures Australians will vote on – far more than the numbers of immigrant intakes, citizenship questions, antisemitic incidents or public servants employed.
And it’s those numbers they are yet to see from the Coalition in any great detail.
Incumbency has its advantage, and the government will exploit the one it has tonight in delivering a budget so close to an election.
It will be exploited all the way to polling day.
This budget should be considered Labor’s election platform.
We already know much of it, with a number of initiatives to be merely repeated when Treasurer Jim Chalmers steps up to the despatch box.
The government has gone all out with ‘good news’ funding announcements in recent weeks – including more energy bill relief just two days ago.
Defence Minister Richard Marles used this week’s Avalon airshow in Victoria to announce an additional $1 billion of new money in the budget for defence spending, on top of the $9.6 billion already planned for over the next four years.
There will be a few more ‘nuggets’ to be let out of the bag tonight, but no one should expect anything that isn’t designed to secure Labor a second term.
The government also now says there will be $2.1 billion in budget savings (read cuts) to be announced.
That includes another $720 million Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says Labor has made on further reducing private consultants to the public service – bringing that savings total to $4.7 billion over the government’s first term.
“It has meant we can invest in the things that matter most, like cost-of-living support, Medicare and housing,” Senator Gallagher said.
That’s a good line when government spending priorities are set to be a key election focus.
Peter Dutton has had plenty of good lines himself that have hurt Labor over the past year.
He has stumbled somewhat of late and will now need to reassure the electorate he can go the distance with a united team behind him.
Pressure is on the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the whole government to deliver tonight and then to follow through to election day.
The government’s upbeat mood can probably be best articulated by what the PM told his Cabinet on Monday during their last meeting before the budget (and possibly before the election).
“We’re kicking with the wind because we have a coherent set of values that are not about us – that are about a plan for Australians,” he said.
A similar pressure (if not an even greater one) will be on the Opposition Leader on Thursday night and into the weeks after his speech.
He has been able to taste victory at times during the faux campaign.
The real campaign begins tonight.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Riotact.
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