The Budget hits and misses that could win or lose the Coalition votes

PENSIONERS GOOD FOR SOME

Handouts to the aged never go astray and this Budget will see another one-off energy payment — of $75 for singles and $125 for couples — to nearly 4 million welfare recipients. It breaks down to not much a week but, in this climate, any help towards rising power bills is a bonus.

EDUCATION A TOUGH SELL

Learning is being funded at record levels but Labor, through more than $200 billion more in taxes, is promising a $14 billion boost to public schools over 10 years. It wants to deliver a record $133 billion to public education over the decade beginning in 2020. Health and education are areas where Shorten has an advantage. Whatever the Coalition promises, Labor will pledge more.

DEBT TRY AGAIN IN 2021-22

The nation’s net debt has more than doubled over the Coalition’s two terms, from $174.6 billion in September 2013 when it was first elected to $361 billion in 2019-20. Since Scott Morrison has been Prime Minister, he has piled on more than $18 billion in net debt — or more than $100 million a day.

INFRASTRUCTURE VOTE WINNER

The Government pledged $112 million to stage 3A of the light rail, $500 million for the M1 bottleneck between Daisy Hill and Logan Motorway and $8 million for a study into a fast-rail link from the Gold Coast Airport to Brisbane. However, there is little for Cross River Rail.

TAX CUTS BULLSEYE

Tax cuts for low and middleincome earners to help ease costof-living pressures are a winner when most haven’t had a pay rise for years. Wage growth is an issue that Labor has made much of, so more money in Aussie workers’ pockets is a bullseye.

NO BELT-TIGHTENING WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

The Government appears to have abandoned traditional Liberal dogma of slashing government expenditure. There are no major cuts to recurrent expenditure. Organisations such as the ABC are receiving more money, while there is no huge crackdown on welfare.