Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to build a better future

In a matter of hours, the Australian Government will hand down a “responsible, family-friendly budget, that will help Australians with the cost of living,” according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Australia is facing nearly $1 trillion in debt and soaring inflation. But the Albanese Government insists they have made improvements “line by line”.

The Prime Minister says there will be “cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, extending paid parental leave and getting wages moving again.”

Dr Leonora Risse is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at RMIT University, who said these issues should be central to the budget.

“Paid parental leave and childcare affordability should be treated as core economic issues that affect the country’s overall productivity and prosperity, rather than just thinking about these policies as “women’s issues.” 

“We have to make bold moves to make it societally and professionally acceptable for men to put their hand up and take a larger share of parental caregiving,” she said.

The budget—the first for a Labor Government since 2013—is expected have more ‘cuts’ than ‘spend’. But analysts believe it provides an opportunity to address the nation’s post-pandemic future.

“Women also lost their jobs or lost hours of work together with any opportunities for career development,” said Emeritus Professor Sara Charlesworth at RMIT University.

“The impact of the additional burdens taken on by many women during COVID will cast a long shadow on their mental health and the rising number of women seeking help post lockdown is hardly surprising,” Professor Charlesworth explained.

Mr Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers will get a second bite of the apple in less than a year, when another budget is handed down in May 2023.

Dr Debajyoti Chakrabarty is a Lecturer in Finance and Economics at Charles Darwin University. He said a strong job market and resources sector will boost this year’s budget.

“However, there are also reports of expenditure blowouts in infrastructure, aged care and health.”

“The government has to be careful in its spending strategy and use it towards the targeted cost of living relief to vulnerable households and improving productivity,” Dr Chakrabarty said.