In the media
A Band Aid Budget
The Labor Government may have appropriately delivered some reprieve for the most vulnerable in the Federal Budget, but it has patched, rather than solved, serious structural issues in the Australian economy.
The Budget lacks the ambition and imagination to propel the economy through this slowdown. It was a missed opportunity to implement lasting change.
The economy needs long term, systemic reform with a focus on driving economic activity, productivity and managing cost inputs.
Instead, the hardworking and tax paying Australians who helped deliver the Budget surplus are seeing little benefit and while I absolutely believe the most vulnerable in our community must be supported, our continued reliance on personal income tax risks leaving many wondering “why bother?”
We used to have an economy built on the back of the wool industry, we now have one built on the back of hardworking Australians.
In an act of irony, the Government will make more money off smokers (tobacco tax $3.3 billion over 4 years) than off those extracting our limited gas resources (PRRT $2.4 billion).
It really does not pay to have an addiction to tobacco but an addiction to gas seems to be something that will continue to be on our radar indefinitely.
Australians are looking for a courageous government with a vision for a prosperous and equitable Australia. The government that is prepared to step up to this ambition, will be rewarded.
Fence sitting abrogates the responsibility to do the heavy lifting needed. At a time when North Sydney households are doing it tough, the community was looking for more than headlines.
Other relevant posts
ABC Mornings Post-Budget Panel
ABC Radio Mornings, 26 March 2025
Kylea speaks with host Kathryn Robinson and Fowler's Dai Le MP about the 2025 Federal Budget, describing the government's headline-grabbing tax breaks as a "very tiny, very small green shoot" that indicates that Labor may be prepared to begin to consider larger scale tax reform. When asked about the upcoming election, Kylea reiterates her commitment to the community independent movement: "We need everyday Australians stepping up ... to bring their real-life, lived experience into Parliament House, because it's only when you have that experience that you understand the impact that some of these reforms will have."
Fairy Bread: A Bread & Butter Budget Sprinkled with Sugar Hits
Media Statement, 26 March 2025
The 2025 Federal budget is a classic bread and butter budget that focuses on the bare basics but lacks ambition. This time however, it’s more like fairy bread in that it’s sprinkled with a few sugar hits that offer temporary relief for some but no long term, lasting benefits.
The Coalition’s attack on the climate authority is a cynical attempt to put ideology over facts – it must be called out
The Guardian, 27 February 2025
On the Coalition's attack on the Climate Change Authority, Kylea writes: "As my grandmother used to say: we are all entitled to our own opinions. But we are not entitled to our own facts."
When does bipartisanship happen? When mutual self-interest is served
The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 February 2025
Economics editor Ross Gittins has described a bipartisan deal on electoral reform as “collusion”, saying the major parties have passed reforms that “advance their interests at the expense of the voters.” He says a minority government would allow independents to push for “braver policies in return for keeping the minority government in power. Not such a bad arrangement.”
‘Swimming in debt’: Sydney’s $14 billion student loan burden
The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 February 2025
New data shows that North Sydney is region with the 4th highest number of students with HELP debt (44,030).
The 12 teal battlegrounds to watch out for this election
Australian Financial Review, 26 February 2025
After the wave of independents that swept the 2022 election, here are the 35 community-backed independents to watch out for as we head towards the polls.
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