After Australia Day, the time to say “Happy New Year’ is officially over, the final sign that we’re all back to work and the time to relaxed has finished is the return of the nation’s politicians to Canberra to commence another season of sittings.

Priorities.
The hot topic for the next few weeks – aside from the proposed reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission – is to commence building a platform for tax reform- notably a lift in the GST to 15%.

The clock is ticking on this one, with only eight weeks of parliament before Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s first budget is due to be handed down, there is limited time to make the argument for change.

Speaking last night on ABC’s 7.30, NSW Premier Mike Baird cited Newspoll’s survey of public acceptance for a GST hike as good news for the Federal Government, with the numbers not as low as might be expected at this stage of the conversation.

 

 

Selling the GST

In the first sign of the the Government’s thinking around the hike, Treasurer Scott Morrison is ready to do battle regardless of what comes out of the Tax White Paper process. Speaking to the assembled media in Canberra yesterday, Morrison told us all what we pretty much knew after his time as Immigration Minister. “What was more important was doing what was right for the Australian economy.” Said Morrison.

“I'm no stranger to causes that don't enjoy popular support. For five years I campaigned heavily on what were very unpopular measures.”

True, but that issue didn’t directly hit anyone’s hip pocket.

 

 

Reserve Bank Meeting today

Finally, the board of the Reserve bank will today convene for their monthly meeting to discuss interest rates. There had better be plenty of other items on today’s agenda, because there is more chance of Mitchell Pearce playing this year's Origin than interest rates rising today.