On last Sunday’s ABC Insiders program, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull quashed months of accumulated speculation that his government would fund a cut in income tax with an increase in the GST saying: “At this stage, I remain to be convinced or be persuaded that a tax mix switch of that kind would actually give us [...]
Cities are unquestionably the flavour of the month. And it may prove to be a very long month at that. Only this week have we received the latest in a long line of warnings, this time from the Australian Council of Learned Academics, about the unsustainability of the growth in our cities without better transport [...]
Jobs, jobs, jobs. Whilst this budget may have been pitched as ‘for families’, meeting Victoria’s employment needs is a paramount focus for the Victorian Government. The Victorian Government faces the reality of the closure of the car manufacturing sector on its watch. Toyota is anticipated to end production in 2016 and Ford will cease manufacturing [...]
How do market-led proposals make it into a budget? On the eve of the 2015-16 Victorian Budget, the Andrews Government announced it was considering a proposal from Transurban for a major new road project, the $5.5 billion Western Distributor. Effectively an alternative to the western-end component of the previous Coalition Government’s East West Link project, [...]
Victoria's productivity commission is ready to serve. The Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission describes itself as ‘the Victorian Government's foremost advisory body on business regulation reform and opportunities for improving Victoria's competitive position.’ The Commission fulfils its role by: 1. Undertaking inquiries into matters referred to it by the Victorian Government 2. Reviewing and advising on the economic impact [...]
Japan Postal Holdings’ $6.5-billion bid for Toll Holdings has won the backing of the board, but must pass further regulatory tests before the takeover is approved. Under Australia’s foreign investment controls, bids of this nature are referred to the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) for consideration and recommendation by the Australian Treasurer. The threshold for [...]
Here’s the new Cabinet lineup with portfolio responsibilities, as announced yesterday by the Premier. [To print, click on the above image. Will print as A4] The addition of Jaala Pulford and Jane Garrett to the frontbench in place of Brian Tee and Danielle Green are the only personnel changes, and have necessitated a minor reshuffle [...]
We can turn to the recent past for guidance on the times ahead. Daniel Andrews and his team have taken heed of the shortcomings of the Baillieu Government – particularly its tone-setting first 12 months – for a guide on what not to do. Ted Baillieu had a very clear sense of how he thought [...]
Based on the final polls available to us as we go to print one day before the election, the evidence strongly suggests both of the parties' campaigns have largely failed to move voters one way or the other. At the commencement of the campaign, the polls had the ALP on average at about 53% two-party preferred [...]
Following on from our explanation of the potential value of the donkey vote in week one of the election, the Victorian Electoral Commission drew the order of ballot in each electorate last Friday. Our analysis below shows the notional winners and losers from the draw. In overall terms, the luck of the draw appears to have [...]
