Writer
Michael Keating
Michael Keating is a former Secretary of the Departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Employment, and Industrial Relations. He is presently a visiting fellow at the Australian National University.
-
An Alternative Budget Strategy by Michael Keating
In this blog in May this year I posted a five-part series by Michael Keating on the government’s May budget and the economic and social consequences. There has been a great deal of discussion and confusion, particularly in the senate, over this budget. This has caused Joe Hockey only a few days ago to warn Continue reading »
-
Michael Keating. Part 5. Federalism
The Government’s Commission of Audit, which preceded this Budget, recommended that policy and service delivery should as far as practicable be the responsibility of the level of government closest to the people receiving those services, and that each level of government should be sovereign in its own sphere, with minimal duplication between the Commonwealth and Continue reading »
-
Michael Keating. Part 4. Long-term Fiscal and Social Sustainability and Taxation
Fundamentally there is a problem with the rhetoric from the government and its cohorts such as the Commission of Audit. They insist on describing taxation as a ‘burden’ that should be lightened at every opportunity; thus implying that taxation is somehow illegitimate. On the contrary, however, taxation represents our mutual obligation to one another as Continue reading »
-
Michael Keating. Part 3. An Alternative and Better Budget Structure
In two previous blogs I have argued that the Government’s Budget broadly got the economics right, but it failed the test of fairness and it attacks our traditional values. In that case, however, what would the alternative Budget structure look like? Fundamentally the Budget should have relied much more on taxation and less on expenditure Continue reading »
-
Michael Keating. Part 2. The Budget and our Values
The Budget is always the clearest guide to a government’s priorities and values. In the present instance, the Coalition Government wants to define this budget as being all about “contribution”. Their rhetoric is that we should all make a contribution towards restoring the nation’s finances. Spreading the burden would be fair and therefore consistent with Continue reading »
-
Michael Keating. Part 1 The Budget and what it means for Australia’s Future
Each day this week I will be running a series of blogs by Michael Keating on the Budget and its repercussions. The posts will be Australia’s Fiscal Challenge The Budget and our Values A Better Alternate Budget Structure Taxation Federalism I am sure that these five posts will make a substantial contribution to our understanding Continue reading »
-
More on pink batts. Guest blogger: Dr Michael Keating
I would like to add a further comment to your post on 3 January on the Pink Batts. First, I would further contest the evidence that this scheme was poorly conceived and badly implemented. On this point it should be noted that the Auditor General’s finding that 29 per cent of 13808 completed jobs had Continue reading »
