Commentary
Sometimes there are signposts to what a government may be planning to do, and when it comes to the budget in Australia, the Grattan Institute is one.
Its latest pointer is called “Back in Black” and is a submission on this May’s Federal Budget.
As a centre-left think tank, sponsored by the Australian and Victorian governments, Melbourne University, and mining giant BHP, Grattan is a sort of Bunyip Brookings—never adventurous and always within the Overton Window, with the cool kids, whether right or wrong.
During COVID they were right in the centre of the Overton Window and the official advice, even when it was evidently wrong. For example, pushing for zero-COVID in September 2020 and then switching to herd immunity with 80 percent vaccination in July 2021, along the way worrying about the impact of COVID on women’s work….