Battle Lines Drawn for the Next Election

Commentary The battle lines for Australia’s next election were drawn last week. By proposing alternative responses to the challenges facing Australians, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has set-up a contrast between the major parties at the next election. Mr. Dutton ensured Australians would have a real choice at the election by doing two things in his Budget Reply. First, he rejected Labor’s expensive big picture and economically questionable proposals, including the very costly “Made in Australia” policy. Secondly, Mr. Dutton focussed on the basic issues worrying Australians and threatening their standard of living, especially high immigration and insufficient housing. The ‘Made in Australia’ Policy The government has demonstrated well-known failures at “picking winners” when it comes to new business ventures, especially when the market has shown scepticism—worse, rejection—of a proposal....