Australian budget 2022

2022 - 3 - 29

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Budget papers show Morrison government to reduce annual climate ... (The Guardian)

On the climate crisis and the natural environment, the story of the 2022-23 budget is one of what isn't there as much as what is.

It is possible it could help address a major flaw with the current system – its failure to factor in the cumulative impact of different projects that destroy habitat and affect threatened species and ecosystems. It focuses on hydrogen and includes projects that will add to the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. It included $1bn for the reef spread over nine years, mostly to help clean up agricultural run-off affecting water quality, and $804m for Antarctic research and strategic capability over a decade. He did mention another commitment that was consistent with the budget’s focus on regional Australia: $148.6m for community solar and wind microgrids in areas too remote to have access to the power grid. The budget papers say this will contribute to a $2bn improvement in the budget bottom line over the next four years. Most, but not all, of that funding has been promised to top up funding for the clean energy agencies, which were created a decade ago under a deal between Labor, the Greens and independents.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Health budget tops $132bn as Treasury says new Covid wave likely ... (The Guardian)

Josh Frydenberg stresses commitment to Medicare and trumpets funding for Trodelvy – a drug used to treat rare form of breast cancer.

The government has already announced $58.1m to support women living with endometriosis. Since March 2020 more than 100m telehealth services have been delivered to 17 million people. This would result in GDP being 0.5% lower, unemployment being 0.25% higher than forecast, and household savings increasing. In the negative scenario, Australia experiences “a more challenging-than-expected health environment” due to the arrival of a more virulent variant in the middle of 2022, coinciding with the flu season. The budget assumes that public health measures including physical distancing and density restrictions will be relaxed but may be “reimposed in a targeted way” in response to outbreaks. It forecasts the economic impact of outbreaks will continue to diminish but raises the possibility of a more bleak outlook if a more virulent variant emerges.

2022-23 Budget: Investing in a strong future, advancing our national ... (Minister for Foreign Affairs)

Senator the Hon Zed Seselja, Minister for International Development and the Pacific. 29 March 2022. As part of our plan for a stronger future, the Morrison ...

Together with our partners in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, we continue to prioritise quality, climate-resilient infrastructure that does not add to unsustainable debt burdens. “Australia has bolstered our support to the Pacific in light of the ongoing challenges faced by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a very important and crucial step towards our shared recovery across the region. The Government has doubled the lending “headroom” for the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific from $1.5 billion to $3 billion to respond to demand from the region and to demonstrate the strength of our partnerships. Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja said the Government will deliver a record $1.85 billion in ODA to the Pacific in 2022-23. Under our Pacific Step-Up, the Government will provide a further $324.4 million to partner with our Pacific family on the regional response to COVID-19. Of this $314 million will be a temporary and targeted ODA measure.

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