Australia cares too much about Budget surplus
The Government has released the MYEFO, or Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, or as we call it, Easter for economists. It’s projecting a very small deficit of around $1 billion. But does that really matter?
Greg Jericho is Chief Economist at the Australia Institute and the Centre for Future Work and popular columnist of Grogonomics with Guardian Australia.
In Dollars & Sense, each week, Greg Jericho will dive into the latest economic figures, and explain what they can tell us about what’s happening in the economy, how it will impact you and where things are headed.
Recorded on Wednesday 14th December 2023. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or visit our website.
Subscribe to Between the Lines, the Australia Institute’s fortnightly-ish newsletter.
Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work
Producer: Jennifer Macey
Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions
Between the Lines Newsletter
The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.
You might also like
Whether Australia’s budget has a surplus tells us little about the government’s worth – it’s all on the choices made
We are now a month away from the 2024-25 budget. And as with all budgets, the choices made matter much more than any big numbers that get the media attention.
Minimum qualifications: The missing piece of aged care worker regulation
“Mandatory and coordinated accreditation would allow workers to have their skills recognised, boost job satisfaction and make the industry more attractive as a long-term career.
“The Aged Care Royal Commission has been crystal clear about the need for these reforms. It’s beyond time to deliver them.”
Don’t worry about a budget surplus, care about the choices in the budget
Budget, Julia Gillard rightly said, are about choices. And those choices are a lot more important than whether or not the budget is in surplus or deficit