A ‘modest’ tax bribe, delivered against dark clouds of Trump-induced uncertainty

By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

The Albanese government’s fourth budget is a pitch for the votes of a sour and alienated electorate, framed against a background of extraordinary international uncertainty.

US President Donald Trump isn’t mentioned by name. But he is the colossus in the background of this budget and indeed the imminent election campaign.

While the opinion polls and the public mood have been turning marginally in Labor’s direction in recent weeks, voters still feel (and are) financially under the pump.

Interest rates have fallen slightly and inflation has declined. But public…

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