Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has announced a further $15 billion in additional infrastructure commitments will be added to the government's 10-year, $110 billion national infrastructure program.
Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says the federal government has delivered a "pre-election" budget which is "packed with debt and deficit" with no clear path to paying it back. "A new world order for this government," he said.
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Morrison government committed to increasing participation rate and ‘narrow gender pay gap’ | Sky News AustraliaEnvironment Minister Sussan Ley says the Morrison government is focussed on increasing record participation rates for women in the workplace and will continue to “narrow the gender pay gap”.\n\nMs Ley, representing the minister for women, said the Cabinet’s women’s taskforce was building on the achievements of the government.\n\nShe pointed to the $1 billion spent on women’s safety since the Coalition came into power in 2013, and measures in the upcoming budget which help fight for women’s economic security.\n\n“Financial independence is critical to safety and security, we're focused on increasing the record participation rates for Australian women,” she said.\n\n“We have achieved much, we want to continue to narrow the gender pay gap, currently the lowest it's been.\n\n“Families not only need security in the workplace, they need flexibility and choice. Which is why we'll be investing an additional $1.7 billion in the annual childcare subsidy cap to give women choice.”\n
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Morrison government using the budget to ‘cover their political tracks’ | Sky News AustraliaLabor MP Peter Khalil has accused the Morrison government of using the 2021 budget to “cover their political tracks” and criticised it for having a “lack of vision” when it comes to investing in Australia’s future economy. \n\n“It’s very political, there’s a lot of spending in areas to cover over the problems they created,” he said.\n\n“Over eight years there’s been cuts to aged care and women’s health. Scott Morrison oversaw much of this - he cut aged care himself.\n\n“So they created all these problems, now they’re trying to cover their political tracks effectively with a budget.\n\n“What gets me about this is the lack of vision in looking at investing in Australia’s future economy, looking at the structural reform necessary for long-term gains.' \n\nMr Khalil said more work needed to be done through further investment in education to provide the unemployed with the skills needed to enter the workforce. \n\n“There’s a missed opportunity by Josh Frydenberg to actually invest in areas or sectors in the economy that will actually grow the economic pie … so you increase the tax base so you can tackle the debt and deficit down the track”. \n
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Morrison government ‘missed the opportunity’ to address structural women’s issues | Sky News AustraliaThe Morrison government “missed the opportunity” to implement key changes to improve women’s economic security and safety, according to ACTU President Michele O’Neil.\n\nTuesday night’s budget included $3.4 billion to tackle women’s economic security by focussing on areas such as childcare which aims to improve the workforce participation rate.\n\nMs O’Neil described the government’s measures, such as the $1.1 billion to address women’s safety, as “piecemeal and delayed”.\n\n“Some of the key things that will make a difference for women’s economic security and safety require structural change, and the government missed the opportunity to do that,” she said.\n\n“It is welcome to have things like the removal of the $450 threshold on earning super which really affected women more than anyone else.\n\n“That is a welcome change but if you look at the other changes, there is nothing that’s going to deliver that gender equity at the core of our labour market and economy.”\n\n
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2021 budget will be a ‘Morrison-keeper budget’: Plibersek | Sky News AustraliaShadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek says the 2021 federal budget will be a “Morrison-keeper budget” focused on fixing political problems of the government’s making. \n\n“It will be all designed around short-term spending, big dollars to deal with political problems of the government’s own making,” she said. \n\n“Take aged care for example, Scott Morrison was the treasurer who cut $1.7 billion from aged care, he was warned at the time it would be catastrophic for the system – it turns out it was catastrophic.\n\n“So now the government’s going to fix a political problem of its own making.\n\n“What we expect - is a as usual from this government - big flashy headline, they’ll do really well with the advertising and then it will be Ts and Cs may apply.' \n
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US poised to start administering Pfizer vaccine to young Americans | Sky News AustraliaMore Americans could be lining up to the receive the Pfizer jab after the FDA on Monday extended its emergency use to approve the jab for children as young as 12. \n\nA CDC advisory committee will issue recommendations for distributing the vaccine – with an announcement expected on Wednesday – and if given the green light it could start being administered as early as Thursday. \n\nHealth experts said expanding the eligibility criteria of the vaccine to include children could be key in achieving herd immunity. \n\nPfizer and Moderna already started testing their vaccine on children as young as six months. \n
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