The federal government needs to keep young voters on side to get a second term in office, but this year's budget doesn't present a particularly compelling plan for under 30s, writes Claudia Long.
It's a worthwhile approach, one solid detailed plan is better than a new incremental program in every budget.This week's budget outlined six months' worth of funding for Medicare items for telehealth sexual and reproductive health appointments.
On mental health, the government has taken steps to break the bottleneck around psychology qualifications which is causing significant problems with getting enough practitioners in the workforce to meet demand. Without interim measures, it means another year will go by before new spending is announced on those items.Tuesday night's budget saw the Treasurer at pains to emphasise Labor's approach is responsible cost of living relief for the most vulnerable.Big changes to Medicare bulk billing incentives will make it cheaper for not just under 30s but everyone to see the doctor, changes for renters and those on welfare will affect this group too.
It's being touted as the biggest increase in three decades, going up $23 a fortnight to $180 for singles living alone and up to $120.50 for singles in share houses.ital cities saw record hikes last year — if you're living in a capital city apartment, $180 dollars a fortnight is certainly welcome but won't go that far on the average capital city $500 rent payment.
The government is trying to balance providing relief against accidentally increasing inflation and making everything more expensive. It's a high stakes operation. But despite this being a huge issue for young people, there wasn't much to see in this budget thanks to the government rolling out much of their emissions plan in last year's October budget.
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