Big spending budget so I’m sure plenty to please people: Health gets a big whack which is good. Let’s hope it actually improves people’s health rather than increase admin overheads.

The $350 cash transfer is good, as will be a good test of how the payment system works in getting the funds out the door. Ignores those at the bottom who really need it but does signal the journey towards a UBI is underway.

Also good to see changes to unfair Child Support payments for sole parents and investment into the Disability issues. Be interested to see what people think about that. $107m over 4 years to set up operate a new Ministry?

Extending cut in Public Transport and fuel tax for 2 months is lovely but this is just fiddling around. Should make the PT cut permanent as a shift towards free PT. Fuel costs should be dealt with in a Tax and Dividend structure.

Always interesting reading through the summary of initiatives and see where all the money is going. IT nerds will be delighted to see $84m going to funding RealMe ‘to ensure the platform remains fit-for-purpose’.

The big miss here is the lack of tax reform. The government cannot continue to fiddle around in this issue. We need a major boost to incomes but also a tax on property to help fund it. This tax shift is absolutely critical to rebalancing the system.

The new fiscal rules are pointless. Net debt is forecast to be at 15% by 2026. It’s time for the government to seriously invest into long-term climate adaptation, social equity and an innovative economy that will be fit for the future.

This is a middling, fiddling budget. It doesn’t talk to the long-term impact of Covid and the realities of the shifting geo-political situation. We need serious structural change now if we are to build a sustainable future. Looking forward to Election 2023.