Federal budget summary: all the key points at a glance
The government has handed down a budget designed to pull Australia out of the most severe global economic crisis since the Great Depression thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here’s what you need to know at a glance.
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Taxes
More than 11 million Australians will receive tax cuts with a permanent cut of $47 a week for high-income earners.
Middle-income earners will also receive a one-off $21 with extension of the low and middle-income tax offset into 2020-21.
From 2020-21, the upper limit of the 19% personal income tax bracket will rise to $45,000 and the 32.5% marginal tax rate upper threshold will lift from $90,000 to $120,000.
Jobs
The Morrison government will pay businesses up to $200 per week to hire young Australians as part of a $4bn budget measure that aims to reverse an increase in youth unemployment during the recession.
The new incentive will target firms that employ young workers who had previously been receiving jobseeker.
It follows Sunday’s announcement of expanded training subsidies, with the government pledging to cover half the wages of 100,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships.
Welfare
The government has announced two additional economic support payments of $250 to pensioners and other eligible recipients, worth $2.6bn.
Extension of the jobkeeper payment support for a further six months until 28 March 2021.
Extension of the coronavirus supplement until 31 December 2020 at a rate of $250 per fortnight from 25 September 2020.
The budget doesn’t provide any clarity about the future of jobseeker payment rates after Christmas.
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Education
$1bn will be injected into Australia’s university research sector.
Funding for 50,000 online short courses to upskill workers and unemployed Australians in teaching, health, science, information technology and agriculture.
$299m to provide an additional 12,000 undergraduate university places in 2021.
Small business
Businesses with a turnover of less than $5bn – all but the top 1% – will be able to deduct the full cost of capital assets purchased after budget night and first used or installed by 30 June 2022.
Small and medium businesses will also be able to apply “full expensing” to second-hand assets; businesses earning $50m to $500m will be able to do so for assets of less than $150,000.
Companies with turnover up to $5bn will be able to offset losses against previous profits on which tax has been paid, to generate a refund.
Exempting from the 47% fringe benefits tax employer-provided retraining activities to employees who are redeployed to a different role in the business.
$4.5bn investment in NBN Co and $29.2m to accelerate the rollout of the 5G network.
Health
23,000 new packages for older Australians waiting to receive at home care, at a cost of $1.6bn.
$2.3bn in announced funding for investment in Covid-19 treatments and vaccines and funding for the listing of new drugs on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, including Lynparza for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
$750m in funding for Covid-19 testing and $171m for the extended operation of up to 150 dedicated respiratory clinics to manage and diagnose Covid-19 cases.
$798.8m for the National Disability Insurance Agency and NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
A targeted capital gains tax exemption for granny flat arrangements where there is a formal written agreement, applying to arrangements with older Australians or those with a disability.
Environment
The Morrison government’s environment and energy budgets consist largely of pre-announced items, including funding for its technology roadmap for reducing Australia’s emissions and $52m for the expansion of Australia’s gas industry.
Tuesday’s budget reiterated the government’s plan to fund the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) for a further 10 years from 2022 to a total of $1.4bn. Over the next four years, the agency will receive $223.9m.
The government is spending $50m on carbon capture and storage to fund pilot projects it claims will “dramatically cut” emissions from industrial facilities and there is $70.4m over five years for a regional hydrogen export hub.
The environment minister, Sussan Ley, said the government would spend $67.4m on oceans and marine ecosystems.
Earlier this year the government announced $25m to reduce the timeframes for approvals for major projects. Tuesday night’s budget adds an extra $12m in funding over the next two years.
There is $52.9m for investments in gas – announced in September – including $10.9m for planning of gas infrastructure.
The government will spend $249.6m over four years on waste and recycling policies, including $190m for a recycling modernisation fund for new infrastructure to sort plastic, paper, tyres and glass waste and $233.4m to upgrade facilities at national parks.
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Infrastructure
$14bn in new and accelerated infrastructure projects over the next four years in every state and territory, including Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail and Western Sydney international (Nancy-Bird Walton) airport
$3bn towards shovel-ready projects to support further job creation and economic recovery, including for small scale road safety projects.
Housing
An additional 10,000 places in first home loan deposit scheme in 2020-21 to support the purchase of a new home or a newly built home.
Super
Australians will automatically keep their superannuation fund when they change employers, stopping the creation of unintended multiple accounts.
A new online YourSuper comparison tool will help people compare the performance of funds which will be required to meet an annual performance test.