Parliamentary Library

Budget Review 2009–10

May 2009

Index

Introduction		Social policy
Budget overview			Social policy overview
	Budget 2009–10: key features	Broadcasting and the arts
Budget transparency			Arts
	Operation Sunlight		Digital radio and television
Climate change, energy and the environment			Public broadcasting
	Climate change and energy	Education
	Environment		Education—introduction
	Water		Higher education
Defence and security issues			School education
	Defence		Vocational education and training
Federal-state relations		Health and ageing
	GST transitionary assistance to expire		Health overview
Foreign affairs			Aged care
	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade		Health infrastructure
	Official development assistance		Medicare
Housing			Pharmaceutical benefits scheme
	First Home Owners Boost extension		Private health insurance
Infrastructure			Workforce
	Infrastructure overview	Immigration
	Broadband and telecommunications		Abolition of the 45 day rule
Legal issues and the Attorney-General’s portfolio			Border protection and combating people smuggling
	Introduction		Community care and case resolution
	Access to justice		Migration and humanitarian programs
	Alcopops customs and excise tariffs	Indigenous affairs
	Australian Securities and Investment Commission and financial regulation		Indigenous affairs
	Courts	Welfare payments
	Information Commissioner		Reform of family payments
	Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia		Paid parental leave
	National Capital Authority		Reforms to pensions
	National product safety regulation		Student income support
	National Security Legislation Monitor
	Unit pricing
Public sector
	Australian Public Service
Rural affairs
	Drought assistance
	Land and Water Australia
Science and innovation
	Science and innovation
Superannuation
	Superannuation - Revised 26th June 2009
Taxation
	Business tax measures
	Personal income tax
	Fairness and integrity in the tax system
Workplace relations
	Workplace relations overview

Introduction

The second Rudd Government Budget, handed down on 12 May 2009, was framed amid a sharply deteriorating world economy and the first serious downturn in Australian economic activity since the early 1990s. This challenging global economic environment is creating anxiety among government policy makers around the globe as the appropriateness of the various policy responses are being openly debated in parliaments and through the media.

To assist parliamentarians in these demanding times, the Parliamentary Library is once again producing a Budget Review that examines the key features of a selection of crucial measures contained in the Budget. The first article, Budget 2009–10: Key features, provides a macroeconomic analysis and commentary of the Budget including the assumptions underpinning the Government’s fiscal policy and the main spending and taxing features contained in the Budget. The remaining articles examine the impact of Budget measures on a broad range of specific issues and initiatives.

The Budget Review 2009–10 has necessarily been prepared under time pressure with a view to making it available to parliamentarians as soon as possible. While great care has been taken to ensure that these articles are accurate and balanced, they are written using information publicly available at the time of production. It is not the intention of these documents to make value judgements about the relative importance of different measures or to provide a comprehensive overall assessment of the Budget.

Parliamentarians are invited to raise points requiring amplification or clarification directly with the research specialist concerned and any general comments on papers are also welcome. Any other feedback should be forwarded to me. Clients are also reminded that in addition to the Budget Review the Library publishes the Opinion and analysis of the Budget in the media page on our website.

Signature

Roxanne Missingham
Parliamentary Librarian
May 2009

Budget Review 2009–10