It’s heartening to see that a Federal Government is finally having a crack at difficult reform. For too long, Canberra has been deadlocked by policy timidity and a political culture hellbent on stymieing change. The standout reform is of course the changes to the tax treatment of investment properties. But buried in the Budget papers are numerous smaller reforms that promise to make life better for many people, for instance funding to prevent financial abuse and weaponisation of child support payments. Another example is funding to improve social housing accessibility for people aged 16-24, a cohort often ignored by policy makers.
That of course is not to say that all’s well with the Budget. The $37.8 billion forecast saving for the NDIS looks unrealistic, and the prospect of the State Government significantly increasing the delivery of disability services for Tasmanians is fanciful. No wonder many members of my community are worried, even frightened, by the prospect of change. And sure, we all live in uncertain times and defence spending needs to be set at a sensible level. But the proposed Defence budget is enormous and promises to create shortages in other vital government programs. Nor does the community have confidence that the Defence budget will be spent wisely given the shocking waste of recent decades. And yet again, there is bugger-all for anyone on income support.
The boost to liquid fuel security is particularly interesting. Bringing stockholdings closer to the International Energy Agency’s requirement is important, but again at what cost? Surely the current oil shock should be a wakeup call to turbocharge the electrification of Australia, but instead the Government is budgeting to cut about $1.3 billion over the decade from solar, battery and hydrogen programs.
There are some bright spots for Tasmania. Very important for Clark is the commitment of a $387.4 million boost to funding for the CSIRO, although that is tempered by the plan to shed about 200 jobs nationally. The $57.5 million for Nyrstar’s smelters, including in Hobart, is also confirmed in the budget papers. The Tasmanian health system will also be boosted by a one-off $80 million payment to help with the additional costs of delivering health care in smaller jurisdictions, and Hobart specifically will benefit from $6 million for maternity services and $1.8m for the Jack Jumper Ants Allergy Program. And curiously, there is a reference to financial support to “defray the increased costs borne by Tasmanian consumers due to Project Marinus.” This clearly demands scrutiny.