Why Shorten Loves the Budget

For a government that has stopped the boats while, at the same time, steadying relationships with Indonesia; is on the verge of getting rid of the ‘big new tax’; has set some steps in motion to repair the budget; is forging free trade agreements and, to boot, is opposed only by an uninspiring ex-union apparatchik, things ain’t looking good. They might improve when the carbon and mining taxes are gone and some other budget measures are negotiated through the Senate. But you wouldn’t want to bet on it.

The problem for the government — apart from the short memories of hundreds of thousands of ‘swinging voters’ — is that the budget is being successfully sold by Bill ‘Fair Go’ Shorten as being unfair. And he doesn’t have to raise a sweat. This gift has been handed to him on a plate by a government showing disquieting signs of setting itself up to fail the first duty of any sane and responsible government in its first term, which is to get re-elected. The reason is not…