TRANSCRIPT
With this federal budget coming less than eight weeks - at most - before a federal election, the federal government finds itself in something of awkward situation, trying to balance priorities, and manage messages.
Budgets are, first and foremost, about governments telling people how they're going to spend their tax dollars.
And there's plenty of the usual trumpeting of that in the lead-up to this budget, with the government not shy to tell Australians about major spending promises when it comes to Medicare, Infrastructure, and Housing, amongst other things, as they prepare to head to the polling booths.
For instance, in times of uncertainty when it comes to international security, Defence Minister Richard Marles is keen to let Australians know about the increased investment in his portfolio.
"In the federal budget, there will be an increase in defence spending, over the forward estimates, of 10.6 billion dollars. This is the most significant increase in defence spending in peacetime Australia since the end of the Second World War.]
But budgets are also for trumpeting savings, as well as spending.
The government has confirmed it will implement 2.1 billion dollars worth of fresh savings in this budget, with 720 million dollars of that coming from cutting consultants, contractors, and labour hire in the public service.
Speaking to the ABC, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says the government is constantly finding ways to trim spending.
"Can we find more savings within public administration? Yes. I think that is ongoing work for government. You have to constantly, every budget, look where you can find savings, where you can re-prioritise. And, over the four budgets, we've found 95 billion dollars worth of savings. That's not an insignificant amount."
Making it awkward for the government this year, as it tries to trumpet both its spending and its saving in this budget, is what's actually in the blueprint Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down.
Namely, a decade of projected budget deficits, after he'd handed down budget surpluses the last two years.
Politically, it's generally not a great look - and those who want to take the jobs of those currently in government in the coming weeks are wasting no time cashing in.
Opposition Finance spokeswoman Jane Hume is already promising the coalition will fix what she claims the Labor Party has broken.
"Two windfall gains completely wasted, and now we've got deficits as far as the eye can see. The Coalition will be looking for a budget that can restore the lost standard of living that has been lost under this government."
EY's Chief Economist for Oceania, Cherelle Murphy, explains the government's dilemma moving forward.
"As we go through the coming ten years, the government has less and less options about what it can do. It basically has to pay for yesterday's problems, rather than thinking about how to deal with today and tomorrow's problems."
Ms Murphy says there's one area the government can address to try and fix that.
"So, what we want to do, essentially, is we want to allocate the capital and the labour in the economy better. Which essentially means we want to be using the resources in the economy as best we possibly can. Now, one way you can do that is with tax reform."
But Dr Chalmers has told SBS the government will not propose changes to the tax system beyond what he's already announced.
The government also has to combat scepticism over what they have already announced.
The addition 150 dollars in direct relief for power bills was not received well by Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie.
She's told the Nine Network she'd rather her constituents in the island state get more, and she get less.
"I really have a problem with this- and it's not means-tested. What do I need 150 bucks for? What a waste of money! I would rather those people down here getting 300 dollar power relief, rather than me getting another 150."
It all makes for an even more crucial budget night than usual.
