A traditional budget for difficult times

A traditional budget for difficult times
(Image: Getty)
Pattrick Smellie
Delve into the detail of how the government plans to spend the massive $6 billion spending allowance available in the 2022 budget, and there are plenty of interesting nuggets.But the political force in this budget is tactical, focused on the short term challenge of galloping inflation, and almost old-fashioned in the sense that it simply gives everyone who’s short of money … some money.The $814 million “cost of living payment” is targeted at everyone earning less than $70,000 a year and is pitched at half the level of t...

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