Chalmers’ fight against inflation goes nowhere

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has sought to present the 2024/25 Budget as one that strikes a balance between providing support to an ailing economy and keeping pressure off inflation. In our view, that’s disingenuous: the combination of increased government spending and fresh tax cuts make it clear that budget repair isn’t top of mind. That said, the Budget isn’t the major departure from economic orthodoxy that the government’s critics would like to claim.