Emboldened by its unprecedented dominance, Labor took on a radical overhaul of the tax system on Tuesday. Spooked by its unprecedented weakness, the Coalition did the same two nights later.
The battlelines for the next federal election, still two years away, may have been drawn this week. Who represents aspiration?
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor’s pledge to index Australia’s tax brackets to inflation — the economic centrepiece of his first budget reply — is his most significant attempt yet to answer that question.
After decades of timid governments and small-target oppositions, Australia has now seen two transformative tax proposals in two days. Gambling is back in fashion in Canberra.
