Imagine there’s no polling, it’s easy if you try. No party politics, ahead only blue sky …
That’s the idea behind Crikey‘s fantasy budget — setting priorities based on economic sense and community need alone, not focus groups and marginal seats, and radically recalibrating the books to deliver it. It’s the sort of future thinking so lacking in public debate at the moment.
Bernard Keane kicked off the exercise yesterday, outlining his priorities as productivity stimulus, decarbonisation, housing supply, infrastructure works and fiscal stability. Today, he gets out the razor and tries to add it all up.
We want this to only be the start of the conversation. We’re engaging some of the smartest economic brains to design their fantasy budgets for Crikey next week. But the floor is open to amateur treasurers everywhere — email us your thoughts and we’ll compile the best responses. Remember, you can’t spend up big without identifying the savings.
It’s the budget talk we had to have.
“Remember, you can’t spend up big without identifying the savings.”
So the coalition economic team need not apply then!!
@Jimmy.
Does the Noalition even have an economic team?
Good point Gocomsys – maybe it should be “those coalition members who hold purport to be their economic team”
Tories will do what tories always do, screw the workers, feather bed their friends and give tax breaks to their benefactors/masters. That doesn’t even have to pretend to be an economic policy.
If, as seems inevitable, MM & his minions take office, I’m putting up $100 (if Crikey will hold it) that they don’t win a 2nd term, double dissolution aside. In the latter case the bet is that the Greens increase their Senate representation.
Why ? With tax levels at all time lows why is an increase in revenue not allowed ?