The Federal Treasurer is now in the important stages of preparation for his May Budget. As he does this, he needs to address a structural deficit and chart a path back to the surplus required to reduce debt accumulated during the COVID shutdowns. Additionally, the growing costs of the NDIS and an ageing population need to be funded.   There are significant political hurdles to overcome in making the hard revenue and spending choices needed to overcome the structural deficit. Only through effective engagement of the population can the hard decisions be made in a way that neutralises the political risks.

As well as fines, Medibank’s high command could suffer repercussions, both in terms of pay and job loss, if repor

Albanese’s Labor Government is having an extended honeymoon. The Liberals are still agonising over losing power.   Both parties suffer a “relevance deficit” for most Australians. They represent dogma driven by left vs right historical positions, labour vs capital, and conservatism vs progressive.  Their structures and processes reflect the last century’s society and cannot collect, digest and build community consensus on complex issues effectively enough to serve the best interests of today’s Australia.   Australia needs a party that can lead open and broad community dialogue, listen and then present evidence-based policies to the electorate that meet the “common interest” test.