In the media
A budget full of headlines, devoid of substance
Media release, 15 May 2024
The Albanese Government’s third budget is full of great headlines but misses the opportunity to address at least some of Australia’s most fundamental economic and societal challenges.
Of small sugar hits – there were plenty: for almost every interest group. But ultimately almost all of the brave the systemic reform we must embrace as a nation simply was not there.
While the Government did deliver a surplus and finally unveil a plan for how we can rightfully take our place as a renewable energy superpower by opening our doors to the future, there was a disappointing lack of focus on electrification initiatives for households and business.
Australia is crying out for leadership and reform, and ultimately with this budget, the Government has missed the opportunity to address our housing, climate, intergenerational equity, and domestic violence crises.
The $300 energy rebate, which goes to every household whether you earn a million dollars a year or are surviving on JobSeeker makes for a great headline. But the truth is this $3.5 billion could have been better targeted or redirected towards supporting households to access cleaner, cheaper energy by finally getting the solar or batteries they need to no longer be reliant on expensive fossil fuel energy.
Substantial reform to Australia’s taxation regime, which is still overly reliant on personal income tax despite the revised stage 3 tax cuts, has been kicked down the road while the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax continues to generate less revenue than the beer excise. Meanwhile $44 billion of taxpayer funds will be spent on fossil fuel subsidies over the forward estimates.
The budget offers almost nothing for the environment, including much needed nature law reform and our threatened species. The establishment of the Environment Protection Australia and Environment Information Australia is welcome but remains underfunded.
While the government has listened to calls from the crossbench to address the burden of HECs debt, there is little to offer younger Australians hope they will have fairer access to more affordable housing. Reading the budget fine print, some of the $6.2 billion allocated to housing is simply repurposed funds, not new funding to tackle our housing crisis.
Ultimately, the Albanese Government appears to have delivered a budget that provides the Prime Minister with the option of an early election. This budget is clearly geared toward re-election rather than tackling the long-term reform our nation desperately needs.
See Kylea's Budget Night update to the North Sydney community here.
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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