While there is no formal process for industry bodies and lobby groups to make pre-submissions to the October 2022-23 federal budget, many have made their demands and recommendations known.
Crikey took a look at what’s on everyone’s budget wishlist to find out what they’re asking — and whether it’s wishful thinking.
Agriculture
Over the next four years, the National Farmers’ Federation wants more money put towards bolstering biosecurity, opening up carbon markets through homegrown programs and natural capital systems, strengthening supply chain services, shoring up the domestic and migrant workforce, and building up regional towns.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers projected an 8% hike in fruit and vegetable prices over the next two quarters as floods continue to ravage productive farmland in Australia’s south-east. He has budgeted $3 billion in relief.
Climate
The Climate Council’s Dr Jennifer Rayner told Crikey that the government needs to cease subsidising fossil fuels and “crack on” with cleaning up Australia’s energy mix.
This means new investments in renewables, transmission infrastructure and storage, and reinvestment in independent bodies that were “gutted” under the former government.
Following a nine-year hiatus, the Treasury will once again model the economic impact of climate change in the October budget. The government has also introduced legislation for a $200 million (per year) disaster-ready fund and has made plans to speed up electric vehicle uptake.
Health
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners wants funding to help alleviate bottlenecks in the health system, including easier and faster access to GPs, capacity for longer consultations, targeted primary care services, as well as a big bump to rural medicine.
The proposed reforms rely on Medicare patient rebates, grouped services, and the migration of doctors from urban to regional areas.
It’s expected that $548 billion (over four years) will be allocated in the October budget for health and aged care. This includes $10 billion worth of new money to buoy hospitals and nursing homes.
Aged care
Yet another industry in crisis and on the brink of collapse. Despite the previous government’s five-year, $18.8 billion package, aged care providers are still waiting on a raft of royal commission recommendations to be properly resourced and implemented.
UnitingCare Australia has called for greater investment in people and community services, along with an injection of funds to improve indexation. It has deemed it critical to address economic inequality exacerbated by rising cost of living and lack of income support.
Palliative Care Australia also called for more staff and a national workforce strategy. In particular, it wants a registered nurse with palliative care credentials working round the clock in aged care facilities.
Labor introduced legislation to kick on with reforms relating to standards of care, staff and transparency. Chalmers coined aged care one of the “big five” budget blow-outs, projecting a 5% increase in spending. An extra $33 billion has already been allocated to welfare and pension payments.
Disability
National Disability Services (NDS) said no to cuts and yes to increased investment in the workforce, formalised with a workforce strategy to attract and retain skilled staff.
It wants the government to up the ante on sector-wide resourcing so that it can deliver quality and safe support services (currently in a state of disrepair as outlined by the Disability Royal Commission). Additionally, more employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Central to all of this is the establishment of an independent pricing authority.
The NDS welcomed the independent review of the NDIS recently announced by Government Services Minister Bill Shorten.
Social services
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) says the budget should “leave no one behind, no one held back”. Its bid to alleviate poverty and level inequality includes increases to income support, provision of and access to community services, more affordable housing, “fair, fast and inclusive” action on climate change, and a pathway to full employment. It wants to sideline stage three tax cuts, “which go mainly to men with incomes of $200,000 or more”, and also raise revenue to cover the “basics”.
ACOSS welcomed the $560 million four-year funding pot that the government has already allocated to essential community services, calling it a “welcomed first step”.
Education and childcare
The Australian Education Union (AEU) federal president Correna Haythorpe told Crikey that “deep inequities faced by public schools across the country” need to be addressed as a matter of priority, calling it a “key driver of declining student outcomes” and teacher burnout.
At a “minimum” the AEU wants the government to come good on its election promise to properly fund public schools. For higher education, it wants fee-free TAFE places (another election promise), and it wants preschool education funding extended to include three-year-olds.
In a tweet, the AEU said it was optimistic about the government growing education opportunities for teachers, but said “more needs to be done” in regard to pay, job security and workload.
Housing
The RBA has predicted property prices will plunge by 20% come 2024, which is good news for some, but social and affordable housing is not set to benefit.
Housing affordability group Everybody’s Home wants the budget to focus on the latter. It’s endorsed the government’s $10 billion plan to build 30,000 homes over five years through the Housing Australia Future Fund, but says this barely covers the 27,422 affordable rentals that will be lost at the end of the National Affordable Rental Scheme. The group is calling on the government to commit to an annual build of 25,000 social and affordable homes.
Associate director at the City Futures Research Centre Professor Hal Pawson added that Labor is yet to address steep hikes in build costs, or how it plans to manage interest.
“Labor said $10 billion would be enough to build 30,000 houses over five years, but the cost of construction has skyrocketed,” Pawson said. “Build costs are much higher than six months ago when Labor finalised that commitment.”
Indigenous affairs
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTAR) national director Paul Wright welcomed the budget’s expected allocation of an additional $560 million for community organisations, including housing and Indigenous and domestic violence services.
But Wright will be looking for detail on how this will filter down to adequately fund First Nations-controlled programs and services, particularly in housing, health and the environment in line with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap priority reforms.
In a statement to Crikey ANTAR said the budget must fund the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap and that “$560 million is a fraction of what is needed”.
Business
The Business Council of Australia wants the “right balance” struck between economic growth and “fiscal discipline” to ensure sustainability and stability.
The council wants better living standards, higher wages, economic diversification, greater productivity, investment in workers with the provision of skills and training, and a social services “safety net” that better protects vulnerable Australians.
Will the Albanese government get its first budget right? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
