Editor's note

As you read this, a team of The Conversation’s journalists and academic authors is on its way to Canberra.

Led by our business + economy editor Jenni Henderson, four staff will join chief political correspondent Michelle Grattan, economist Richard Holden, and veteran political commentator Tony Walker to make sense of the federal budget for you.

Our promise is to look beyond the sweeteners to the policy fallout of the budget, and what this means for Australia’s future. Yesterday we explained the repercussions of years of tinkering on tax reform. Today, Frank Bongiorno argues federal budgets are important moments in the life of governments – especially those that are a little wobbly. And Helen Dickinson explains where the money to pay for the NDIS is coming from.

Later tonight we’ll bring you a special budget newsletter with political and economic analysis from the lockup team, along with insights from academic experts across the education and health sectors. We’ll also be breaking down budget measures state by state, with academic experts from your home state or territory weighing in.

This year we’ll also be policy checking Treasurer Scott Morrison’s budget speech, in a similar vein to our pre-budget policy checks. We’ll be live tweeting during the speech from 7.30pm.

And also watch The Conversation on Facebook and Twitter for one-minute video takes from economist Richard Holden (@ProfHolden) and political commentator Tony Walker (@tonywalker1).

We’re thankful to both the university sector and our reader supporters for helping us fund quality journalism.

Charis Palmer

Deputy Editor/Chief of Staff

Top story

Emil Jeyaratnam/AAP/Shutterstock.com

An evening with the treasurer: how governments belt out budget hits and hope someone is listening

Frank Bongiorno, Australian National University

Some have set the course for electoral victory, others have tanked. In any case, federal budgets are important moments in the life of governments – especially those that are a little wobbly.

Health + Medicine

Business + Economy

Environment + Energy

Arts + Culture

Science + Technology

Education

Cities

  • Tweet all about it – people in parks feel more positive

    Kwan Hui Lim, University of Melbourne; Dave Kendal, University of Tasmania; Kate Lee, University of Melbourne

    The positive mood of tweets varies with time of day and season, but it's consistently higher in parks than in built-up areas, where people are more likely to express anger and fears.

Politics + Society

FactCheck

 

Featured jobs

Multimedia Internship

The Conversation AU — Parkville, Victoria

Editorial Internship

The Conversation AU — Parkville, Victoria

Lecturer / Senior Lecturer In Oral Medicine And Anatomy

Charles Sturt University — Orange, New South Wales

More Jobs

Featured events

HYDRO18 Conference and Trade Exhibition

Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, 2009, Australia — Australasian Hydrographic Society

Climate Adaptation 2018

Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia — Griffith University

Utzon Lecture Series. Alternative Nature by Jungyoon Kim

Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW

Start-Up Stories: Scaling Your Business, from Australia to Beyond

Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Bldg, 14-28 Ultimo Road, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney

More events
 

Contact us here to list your job, or here to list your event.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here