Business of Government: budget cuts, HUD gets the tick, and more...

Yes, Minister! New rules prescribe against some common time-wasting tactics. (Image: Getty)

Wed, 06 Sep 2023

Trim, cut or slash?Labour is trimming agency budgets by the 1% to 2% ($1.4 billion) it says is needed to keep a lid on borrowing and return the books to surplus in the 2026-27 financial year.That’s on top of another $1.4b of unspent money it identified for “immediate savings” and a further $1b haircut to the operational allowance that covers cost pressures and new initiatives.Labour says this is all the fat that’s left to trim before you start impacting public services.The challenge for a re-elected Labour will be to kee...

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