The federal budget beyond the talking points

It’s two weeks until the Turnbull government hands down its 2018/19 budget and with an election looming, there’s sure to be some sweeteners on the cards for voters.

But before we hear more talking points from Treasurer Scott Morrison, we’re taking a look at the government’s justifications for policies that have already made the cut in this year’s budget. We’re asking whether these policies stand up to the economic evidence.

In our first of three Budget policy checks, Saul Eslake answers the question - does Australia need personal income tax cuts?

Also we’d like to hear what spending cuts or funding increases you’d like us to look for on May 8.

Jenni Henderson

Section Editor: Business + Economy

Top story

The key reason for the squeeze on household spending and saving is of course the ongoing weakness in the growth rate of household disposable income. Lukas Coch/AAP

Budget policy check: does Australia need personal income tax cuts?

Saul Eslake, University of Tasmania

The government says personal income tax cuts are needed to provide relief from low wages and high cost of living, but will tax cuts make up for that?

Politics + Society

As North Korea builds a season of summits, the stakes on denuclearisation remain high

Benjamin Habib, La Trobe University

The end of denuclearisation politics has opened new possibilities for the direction of the Korean Peninsula, but the tensions of 2017 remind us of the possibility of disaster.
Media reporting on women in the military is preserving a male dominated culture

Donna Bridges, Charles Sturt University; Ben Wadham, Flinders University

Media reporting on women in the military plays an important role in cultural change. Recent research shows Australian newspapers focus on scandal and place responsibility on the women involved.

Health + Medicine

We can change our brain and its ability to cope with disease with simple lifestyle choices

Yen Ying Lim, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

How can exercise, meditation and hypnosis change our brains and potentially prevent disease?
Health Check: is there an optimal time of day to work out?

Paige Brooker, The University of Queensland; Michael Leveritt, The University of Queensland; Sjaan Gomersall, The University of Queensland

Our body burns more fat when we exercise before breakfast, but studies haven't found that means we lose more weight over time.

Cities
Melbourne Airport is going to be as busy as Heathrow, so why the argument about one train line? Ian Woodcock, RMIT University Good public access for Melbourne Airport and others like it depends on not fixating on one solution, like a single rail line, but instead developing multiple options integrated with the city's needs.

Education
Eight things that should be included in screen guidelines for students Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University; Noella Mackenzie, Charles Sturt University Guidelines for screen use for students need to take more than just time into account. Sleep, eye health, posture and other wellbeing issues need consideration as well.

Arts + Culture
How Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer win blurs lines between classical music and pop Scott Davie, University of Sydney Whether it is art or pop, high or low, terms such as creativity, authenticity, innovation and uniqueness can help us judge a work of music. And Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. brims with these qualities.

Science + Technology

From pancakes to soccer balls, new study shows how galaxies change shape as they age

Jesse van de Sande, University of Sydney; Nicholas Scott, University of Sydney

As galaxies get older they get rounder, and fall victim to the middle-aged spread that catches many of us humans here on Earth.
Despite living amongst plants with large seeds, extinct giant moa dispersed only tiny seeds

Jo Carpenter

Scientists long assumed that the extinct moa played an important role as a disperser of large seeds. But a new study finds that New Zealand's largest herbivore only dispersed the tiniest seeds.

Environment + Energy
Fracking can cause social stress in nearby areas: new research Will Rifkin, University of Newcastle Research into Queensland's Darling Downs area has found social stress caused by housing pressure, population shifts and the 'two-speed economy' of coal seam gas.

Business + Economy

Abbott suggests sacking bank regulators as ASIC feels the heat

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

As the banking royal commission continues to expose wrongdoings, the pressure is intensifying on the corporate regulator.
Australian governments don't work with each other and it's holding back regional economies in trouble

Andrew Beer, University of South Australia

Australia's local leadership, including businesses executives and politicians, is relatively weak compared to those in other nations.