We got the spin from the government, but with debt reduction now seen as necessary to get Australia back to surplus, is the money being spent in the right places, and is it enough? Here are some of the reactions from social media.
Tripling the bulk billing incentive is awesome. And will make such a difference #Budget2023
— Dee Madigan (@deemadigan) May 9, 2023You May Like
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What’s your reaction to the Federal Budget? Why not share it with our members?
The aged pensioners were completely passed over. Promising them what they already get does not help put food on the table or pay the bills. Add to this the total failure to invest in housing, climate control, rising sea-levels, EV readiness or services for the 30% of Australians who live in the uncontrolled world of Strata in High-rise apartments shows where the focus really is. Governments abdicating their responsibility for certification to the Australian Standards has created the massive building defect rate and forcing Strata to have insurance, but letting insurers write the rules means apartment owners pay through the roof and subsidize the whole country’s Fire Service Levy. The Govt hasn’t said boo about this travesty.
The Government is happy to say we are going back to pre-Covid immigration levels, but where is the housing? This will not eleviate the current housing shortage or the rapid increase in rents, but not a word about this in the budget. Where will the homes for the immigrants come from? Will Aussies be pushed further out of the market?
Those who ‘need’ tax cuts, those in homes who already get generous climate control subsidies for their free-standing homes and those who have some choice in how and what they spend got more. Most others who are just surviving, were ignored.
Giving a bit more to people on JobKeeper is probably too little, too late, but welcome. The extra for seniors on JobKeeper is a joke. As soon as you hit pension age, you get dumped off JobKeeper whether or not you actually qualify for the pension. Why not just let long-term older unemployed go on the pension early if we want to be humanitarian?
The $120 difference between the age pension and JobSeeker looks massive until you look and notice a couple on JobSeeker are actually paid more than a couple on the aged pension. This doesn’t seem right at all.
The recognition that forcing women to retire at the same age as men has finally been identified as wrong and the BS about prescriptions is just a way to eliminate the PBS safety net by stealth.
In short a budget aimed at winning back the support from those who have been deserting Labor, but probably not that good for the country or the economy. Sticking to the money suppression path the RBA has been on for another 6 months and putting in place some emergency help for those who need it would have made more sense than partial support for cohorts that probably don’t need it, but could be convinced to support a benevolent government.
The whole country would have supported cutting the high-income earners tax cuts to help reduce the deficit and create a more balanced community, but that has been left. Mark my words, it will happen, or other new more draconian taxes will be levied.
And don’t get me started about being generous outside of Australia while a large chunk of the country is suffering. No-one has ever succeeded in fixing their neighbors problems before they fix their own!