MICHELLE GRATTAN says the federal Budget aims to give Australia a post-pandemic soft landing, using revenue windfalls for spending and tax cuts rather than for slashing the deficit.
THE philosophy of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s third budget is very much gain, not pain, for a population that has endured the stress of the pandemic, albeit not the devastation experienced by so many other countries.
Michelle Grattan
There are plenty of winners, and minimal direct losers in a Budget that lays the ground work for an election that is still expected next year rather than this.
Hard decisions have been eschewed. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is trying to avoid offending voters.