The implications of Labor's budget

In response to financial and corporate demands, the Labor government has pledged to return the budget to surplus by 2013. Among the key measures of this year’s budget is a harsher welfare eligibility regime that will compel hundreds of thousands of disabled, unemployed and single parents to enter the workforce.

Labor has also pledged to work with state governments to carry through a historic restructuring of public health and education, aimed at permanently cutting the cost of two of the largest areas of public spending. Tertiary education is also being pushed into major restructuring, that will impact on the availability, quality and cost of courses.

The ISSE encourages students to take part in a discussion on the international and national driving forces behind the austerity policies being imposed by Labor, and a political perspective to fight it.