AGL 38.54 Increased By ▲ 0.97 (2.58%)
AIRLINK 129.50 Decreased By ▼ -3.00 (-2.26%)
BOP 5.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.53%)
CNERGY 3.86 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (2.39%)
DCL 8.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-1.58%)
DFML 41.76 Increased By ▲ 0.76 (1.85%)
DGKC 88.30 Decreased By ▼ -1.86 (-2.06%)
FCCL 35.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.23%)
FFBL 67.35 Increased By ▲ 0.85 (1.28%)
FFL 10.61 Increased By ▲ 0.46 (4.53%)
HUBC 108.76 Increased By ▲ 2.36 (2.22%)
HUMNL 14.66 Increased By ▲ 1.26 (9.4%)
KEL 4.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-2.26%)
KOSM 6.95 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (1.46%)
MLCF 41.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.15 (-0.36%)
NBP 59.60 Increased By ▲ 1.02 (1.74%)
OGDC 183.00 Increased By ▲ 1.75 (0.97%)
PAEL 26.25 Increased By ▲ 0.55 (2.14%)
PIBTL 5.97 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (2.4%)
PPL 146.70 Decreased By ▼ -1.70 (-1.15%)
PRL 23.61 Increased By ▲ 0.39 (1.68%)
PTC 16.56 Increased By ▲ 1.32 (8.66%)
SEARL 68.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.49 (-0.71%)
TELE 7.23 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.14%)
TOMCL 35.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.14%)
TPLP 7.85 Increased By ▲ 0.45 (6.08%)
TREET 14.20 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.28%)
TRG 50.45 Decreased By ▼ -0.40 (-0.79%)
UNITY 26.75 Increased By ▲ 0.35 (1.33%)
WTL 1.21 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 9,806 Increased By 37.8 (0.39%)
BR30 29,678 Increased By 278.1 (0.95%)
KSE100 92,304 Increased By 366.3 (0.4%)
KSE30 28,840 Increased By 96.6 (0.34%)

SYDNEY: Australia’s ruling Liberal Party splashed the cash in a pre-election budget Tuesday filled with goodies for voters souring on nine years of conservative rule.

With an election expected in May, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s party trailing Labor heavily in the polls, his government announced a budget that cuts fuel duty in half and promises Aus$8.6 billion (US$6.4 billion) in tax rebates.

About half the adult population — or ten million people — will get a $420 tax handout to sweeten the deal.

Having promised and failed to put the budget “back in black” with fiscal prudence, Morrison’s plan foresees the deficit exploding to Aus$78 billion or 3.4 percent of GDP this year, and set to remain in the red for a decade.

“The past two years have been tough for our country,” said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, informing parliament of the plans.

“We have overcome the greatest economic shock since the great depression.”

Morrison has been pilloried for his handling of devastating bushfires, floods and a painfully slow vaccine rollout. According to the latest Newspoll survey, his Liberal-led coalition is trailing Labor 45-55 in the two-party vote.

Morrison faces an uphill battle to win over women voters after his handling of rape allegations made by a female political staffer in government, as well as young voters repelled by his pro-coal stance.

His government has swatted aside calls to ween the Australian economy off its dependence on coal and natural gas, touting a “gas-fired recovery” from the pandemic and vowing to dig coal for as long as people are buying.

According to the latest Newspoll, Anthony Albanese’s Labor has the vote of more than 60 percent of 18 to 49-year-olds.

But Morrison has come from behind before, winning an election three years ago, which he himself dubbed a “miracle.”

To that end, Frydenberg touted the lowest unemployment rates in decades as he warned voters now was not the time to change leaders.

Comments

Comments are closed.