Treasurer Tim Pallas will deliver his tenth budget this week, amid rumblings of state debt, reduced services and tricksy new taxes which boldly go where tricksy old taxes have never gone before. For years, the rumours have said that Pallas wanted to leave politics, which is understandable, given state debt has ballooned to six times what it was when he took control of the state’s purse strings in 2014. The latest speculations dictate that Pallas might toddle off soon after what will be his 10th budget. Does his official driver know something that the rest of us do not? Baz is told Pallas’ chauffeur resigned from the role a couple of weeks ago. For his part, Pallas says he’s sticking around to get the job done. What the job is, Baz isn’t quite sure. As ever, watch this space.
After Darren Cheeseman was booted from the parliamentary team, Labor’s Socialist Left faction will be praying bad luck doesn’t come in threes. Picture: Alan Barber
Is Labor’s Socialist Left getting nervous?
They say that bad luck comes in threes. Labor’s Socialist Left faction will be praying that’s not always true. Having lost Will Fowles from caucus last year, and Darren Cheeseman booted from the parliamentary team this week, the SL are only one (alleged) inappropriate behaviour scandal away from the bad luck trifecta, and being down a full ministerial quota. Baz reckons SL members Nick Staikos, Gary Maas, Paul Edbrooke and Josh Bull might be a little nervous. Sure there’s nothing to worry about, fellas!
Impartial all rounder
Who said politics has to be a partisan game? One of Spring St’s finest journalists has been rising through the ranks of the public service since jumping to the dark side of media communications some time ago. James Talia — the former 3AW and Channel 9 news gun — has been appointed to head up media for the state’s crisis-riddled justice portfolio, taking up the role of Executive Director of Strategic Communications at the Department of Justice and Community Safety. Baz spies know full well that Talia is a smart and competent operator. After all, he’s done his time as a reporter as well as worked across government agencies, including steering the media ship of Covid-19 Victoria during the pandemic. Quite the Labor favourite. Funny then that Talia’s first corrections experience was working for the Corrections minister under the Napthine/Baillieu government from 2011 to 2014. Quite the, impartial, all rounder. Congrats, James.
Did shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell run out of puff on the Labor budget scorecard? Picture: Supplied
Rowswell not keeping score
And let it not be said Rowswell hasn’t been pulling his weight ahead of Tuesday’s budget. Baz’s spies say he held private briefings with journalists last week, and unveiled a new budget scorecard rating Labor’s performance over the past 10 years. The only thing it was missing, was any scores. Baz isn’t sure whether that was intentional, or whether after coming up with such a catchy idea as a scorecard, the boffins at Liberal Party HQ simply ran out of puff. Indeed, it looked more like a Labor Party pamphlet than a scorecard, save for the very catchy slogan “holding Labor to account”. Although that does make it sound as though the Coalition is resigned to being permanently in opposition. Nice try, though.
Overheard
“We have never tried to sugar-coat this budget,” Treasurer Tim Pallas warns this week’s budget will be a tough one.
Guess Who?
Which senior public bureaucrats name was misspelt more than a dozen times in a key parliamentary report this week?
The Herald Sun
