At least Chalmers knows his bottom line in the October budget will be boosted by the combination of the lower welfare payments and increased taxes that come from more people working and the lowest unemployment rate in almost half a century.
The answer is more one of hope than conviction. Like the rest of the world, Australia can only operate on the basis there won’t be dangerous mutations that render vaccines ineffective, that governments can no longer afford to repeat emergency support payments indefinitely, that living with COVID-19 really does just become part of living.
But despite the community’s desire to move on from pandemic restrictions, the infectiousness of the latest COVID-19 variants is hitting hard. That’s even though panic about the spread has largely evaporated for most people.
$750 pandemic money is way too much Big vocal minority They want welfare on tap We have $1tril debt we spent $-bil on flood relief n pandemic hangover Then we spent $-bil on the Pacific all the way to Ukraine Saudi down under with bottomless money pit
I don’t care who is in power but with inflation the last thing needed is pumping more money out....live with covid
This editorial suggests the ALP have never governed before. The AFR needs to be careful not to lose all credibility and return to the centre.