A lot of panic for a sensible budget? | The West Report
Jim Chalmers’ 2026 Budget is here and despite pearl-filled news from the Rich Boomers Lobby and the Murdoch press, the sky has not fallen.
Westy covers the modest but significant move on negative gearing and capital gains tax, the failure to properly tax Australia’s gas exporters, the ever-expanding AUKUS gravy train, Budget deficits, NDIS cuts, fossil fuel subsidies, private health insurance debt and the latest developments in BHP’s case against Michael West Media.
The budget takes a small step towards rebalancing an economy tilted towards investors and asset owners, but the country’s biggest flaw remains untouched: foreign gas giants make billions of dollars from Australian resources while paying the crumbs back to the public.
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Michael West was founded Michael West Media Focusing on public interest journalism in 2016, particularly the increasing power of corporations over democracy. West was previously a journalist and editor for Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and was even once a stockbroker.
