Federal Budget 2019: a show about nothing
The 1st April flags the start of Q4, and the annual challenge of trying to avoid getting pranked for April fools’ day.
But with the federal budget set to be handed down tomorrow, it remains to be seen whether it’ll be the Morrison government or the voting public who will end up the fools.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has already flagged about a quarter of voters can expect to receive a one-off payment of $125 from the feds to help cover the soaring cost of utilities bills.
They’ve also flagged more than $2 billion in infrastructure improvements for vulnerable Victorian seats, sold as a plan to help manage the state’s burgeoning population, but clearly an attempt to hold seats at risk of being lost.
The question is, will these pledges be enough to buy the votes Scott Morrison needs to get him across the line next month? Only time will tell.
Sadly I expect Josh Frydenberg’s budget speech will be reminiscent of an episode of Seinfeld: a show about nothing.
Stay tuned for our special post-budget wrap-up on Wednesday.
Some other Q4 thoughts…
In the March quarter the Australian share market rose 9%, keeping the market on track to have its best start to a year since 1991, thanks partly to lower rates globally.
Keep in mind that the Australian share market slumped by nearly 10 per cent in the December quarter on geopolitical concerns, the US-China trade dispute, and Brexit.
This week will be a busy one for markets. The UK House of Commons is expected to hold another Brexit vote, the Australia Reserve Bank will meet, the Federal Budget will be released, US-China trade talks will continue and a key monthly update on jobs growth in the US will receive attention.
Lastly…
If you haven’t looked at your health insurance for a while, today is a great day to do so.
As of today, it’s likely your premium will increase between 4%-6%, so if you feel like you’re not getting value for money, it’s a great time to discuss your coverage with your provider.
