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Asked to grade this year’s budget on a scale of A to F given its objective of “securing Australia’s economic recovery and building for the future”, only three of the top economists surveyed by the Economic Society of Australia and The Conversation give it an A.
But overall 41% award it either an A or a B, higher than the 37% who gave last year’s budget an A or a B.
The gradings of 56 leading economists are a strong endorsement of the budget strategy of borrowing and spending big in order to drive down unemployment, alongside concern about the nature of that spending.
In a piece published Friday, former finance department deputy secretary Stephen Bartos asks whether the budget would have been better had Australia’s treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, been required to justify his decisions in terms of their effects on the nation’s wellbeing, as New Zealand treasurer Grant Robertson did in his budget last week. As Bartos says, you can tell a lot about a country by the way it budgets.
This morning’s report of the economists’ survey includes each assessment printed in full in tabs at the bottom of the page, along with a great Wes Mountain cartoon.
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Peter Martin
Visiting Fellow
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Wes Mountain/The Conversation
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Only three of the 56 economists surveyed gave the budget an 'A', but 41% gave it either an A or a B.
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Adel Hana/AP
Anthony Billingsley, UNSW
There seems to be no interest in reviving a peace process that has been effectively moribund since the Clinton administration in the late 1990s.
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Richard Wainwright/AAP
Hassan Vally, La Trobe University
Many over 50s seem to be asking this question. But there are a number of reasons it's important to go ahead and get the AstraZeneca vaccine now.
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Shutterstock
Deepika Mathur, Charles Darwin University; Imran Muhammad, Massey University
New research found lots of incentives to chuck out working solar panels and replace them with new ones. This may be creating huge amounts of unnecessary waste.
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A food bank in Alameda, California during the pandemic. Why are so many Americans struggling to get the food they need?
John G. Mabanglo/EPA
Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation
Plus, the discovery of the first known burial in Africa. Listen to episode 16 of The Conversation Weekly.
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Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA/AAP
Maximilian de Courten, Victoria University
Only about 1% of the population was vaccinated against COVID when this outbreak started.
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Business + Economy
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Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute
Charging for rezoning is a move other states should follow, as are land taxes. Stamp duty hikes, not so much.
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Stephen Bartos, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
If wellbeing had been made an explicit goal as it it is in New Zealand, Australia's budget would have been been different.
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Education
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Simone Dennis, Australian National University; Alison Behie, Australian National University
Through mentoring, women who have succeeded on male terms set other women on the same path.
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Arts + Culture
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Peter McNeil, University of Technology Sydney
A queen with a reputation for scandal, Marie Antoinette enjoyed her private spaces with a small circle of friends. A mirrored room kept the judgments of the outside world at bay.
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Laini Burton, Griffith University
Eurovision costumes embody the cultural values, national spirit and expressive agency of the artist. Here are the best (and weirdest) of the bunch.
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Science + Technology
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Jonine Jancey, Curtin University
Despite being widely viewed as a safer alternative to tobacco, e-cigarettes aren't harmless, especially to adolescents. But social media is rife with glossy content that makes vaping look fun and cool.
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Health + Medicine
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Michael Toole, Burnet Institute
Japan is going through its fourth wave, testing rates are low and case numbers are climbing. Now athletes aren't happy with the IOC's plans to protect them.
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Politics + Society
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Ran Porat, Monash University
Being the seasoned and skilled politician he is, Netanyahu is certain to manoeuvre the changed political situation for his own benefit.
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Johan Lidberg, Monash University
The government now has a comprehensive blueprint on how to become more open and transparent on all levels, including national security. It’s time to walk the talk — but I'm not holding my breath.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics.
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Jennifer Curtin, University of Auckland; Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, University of Auckland; Suzy Morrissey, University of Auckland; Udari Herath, University of Auckland
There were no specific initiatives for women's work in the budget, leaving New Zealand trailing Australia when it comes to gender balance.
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Environment + Energy
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Barbara Etschmann, Monash University; Joel Brugger, Monash University; Vanessa Wong, Monash University
Radioactive pollution left over from British nuclear tests in South Australia may steadily be leaching into the environment.
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Featured jobs
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— Canberra ACT, Australia
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Featured Events & Courses
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Zoom, Broadcast live on Children's Grounds Facebook , Northern Territory, Australia — Children's Ground
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191 Boundary St, West End, Queensland, 4101, Australia — The Conversation
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Oline Webinar, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia — University of Tasmania
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6-week online course, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
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