For a budget to be inflationary there needs to be actual evidence of surging demand. In this budget we have the opposite

The emissions from the gas industry are delivering a devasting cost to our future

Most plastic Australians use already ends up in landfill and the decision to scrap the levy on waste exports will only make things worse

The majority of items driving inflation now are not responsive to further rate rises

In 2024, the Commonwealth Government will spend an estimated $29.1 billion on schools in Australia. More than half of this – $17.8 billion – will go to private schools.

Australians in their 20s have HECS/HELP debts more than $10,000 greater in real terms than did people 20 years ago

Ending the indexation of HECS/HELP debts would deliver a truly interest free-loan for students

Wage growth in enterprise agreements is at a level completely compatible with long-term inflation targets

Australia’s economy is less an advanced economy than it is a petrostate style simple economy. That needs to change

The latest figures reveal that wages in the private-sector are not growing out of control – indeed they appear to have peaked.

At worst at worst, the increase in wheat prices should have caused a 0.75% increase in the price of bread. Instead they soared.

Western Australia produces much more gas than the state needs and any fears of a shortage is driven by the industry to increase prices

Non-compete clauses limit the ability of workers to seek better pay and conditions and not surprisingly employers love them.

Let us celebrate real wages rising, but not forget how far we have to go.

Public housing was once much more common – we need more public housing rather than rely on private landlords to keep prices down

We need to stop giving billions to high income earners that just exacerbates the housing crisis

We need to tax things we want less of and subsidise things we want more of. Right now with PRRT and HECS, we’re doing it the wrong way round.

The total tax package designed by the Morrison government was not fair because Stage 3 was so clearly directed to giving money to those on high incomes. The new changes improve the entire package.

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments continue to do all they can to help foreign gas companies including giving them gas for free, despite them paying next to no tax.

The latest enterprise agreements figures show that wages continue to grow in line with long-term inflation targets, and that wages continue to provide a dampening impact on inflation.

It is clear the massive increase in SUVs and utes is not due to more tradies or those using them on weekends, but because out tax system encourages the purchase of these behemoths to the detriment of our roads, our safety and the climate.

The Wellbeing Framework suggests Australia’s prosperity is linked with company profits, but it wrongly suggests this also measures people’s living standards.

The Wellbeing Framework attempts to measure how well Australians trust their institutions. Unfortunately, the government seems to have chosen measures designed to tell a good story.

The Wellbeing Framework aims to measure what matters, but its measure of innovation has little to do with research or development

According to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the new Wellbeing Framework “helps us put … fairness and opportunity at the very core of our thinking”, but (astoundingly) lacks any substantive measure of poverty.

The most important issue for Australians’ wellbeing is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and yet the government is not being honest about its progress in the the Wellbeing Framework.

In the September quarter, household living standards fell as rate rises continued to hurt. And then in November the RBA decided to hurt them again.

It is time for the Government to stop using land use figures to make their greenhouse gas emission projections look better than they really are.