“The bottom line estimates conceal the policy reversal at work. This budget’s real purpose is to save the Abbott government. The second related purpose is to boost economic activity in the teeth of faltering growth.”
“Joe Hockey has framed a budget designed to recover the Coalition’s political stocks and give his colleagues something they can go out and sell, something they can defend and something Labor will need to have second thoughts about blocking in the Senate.”
“If the Abbott government’s second budget is a political disaster, the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are finished. But if yesterday’s budget delivers even the faintest poll bounce, Scott Morrison will be the biggest winner in the long term.”
“It has been labelled the make or break budget and it is. It is a stimulus package masquerading as a “prudent approach to spending” to get the economy back on the road to a surplus amid soft commodity prices and falling tax revenue.”
“The nicest thing you can say about Joe Hockey’s second budget is that it won’t do any harm to the economy, minimises the number of voters who might be hurt and, in cleaning up some of the government’s previous dumb decisions, miraculously allows it to more or less land on its fiscal feet.”
“The budget aims to apologise for last year’s effort by leaving people alone, restore the government’s political standing and give it the option of going to an early election either later this year or around March next year.”
Note that ScoMo is depicted as being in charge in most of those pics. Like Rupert is giving him a blow job in front of the whole nation.
I wouldn’t trust this government after last year’s budget, no matter what they have said in this one!
Anyway, a number of ‘promises’ in this budget rely on the Senate passing the nasties from last year.
And if we go back a little further – none of this stuff was on the LNP agenda before the last federal election.
rAbbott and Hockey et al – NO WAY!!