Australia and New Zealand budget days

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, May 7th, 2018 - 23 comments
Categories: australian politics, Economy, economy, exports, labour, treasury - Tags:

Isn’t it time we at least synchronized the New Zealand budget with the Australian budget?

The Australian budget is always launched on the second Tuesday of May each year.

The New Zealand budget will be launched on the second Thursday of May this year.

The Australian economy is an export-focused mixed market economy, just like New Zealand’s. Except theirs is worth $AUD$1.69 trillion.

We can reasonably acknowledge that by a long way it’s our most important international political and economic relationship. They do all of our heavy lifting in defence and immigration already, such that we are allowed to go off and emote endlessly about regional human rights because of the hard choices that only Australia has to make.

We have an economy about two thirds the size of Queensland.

Australia provides a level of at least 20% of stuff we import.

The New Zealand economy is worth in total about NZ$199 billion.

We are a minor part of the Australian economy, and that’s how everyone else views us.

The Prime Minister now has to make a joke about how we are actually missing off the coast of Australia on any major map. That’s the minor irony of how we rate. And it’s only ironic to us. To the rest, we’re a half-eaten lambchop.

Sure, let’s talk about our feelings and our moral superiority and our special differences, but in budgetary terms Tasmania and Western Australia have as many cultural and economic  differences from each other, as we do to Australia.

In all but name we are a state of Australia.

And that’s without mentioning interbreeding. Clutch your pearls girls; Maori are Australia’s largest Polynesian ethnicity. Just like New Zealand.

We are both shifting from a manufacturing to a services economy at about the same time.

In historical terms we shifted from a super-strong state to a deregulated one in slightly faster time than they did, but thirty years on it pretty much washes up.

We said no to federation with Australia in 1901.

Even granted that, in all but name we are a branch office of Australia. 90% of our banking – including that of our own government –  is owned by Australian banks. Where their interest rates go, we go.

$2 of every $5 we have in New Zealand is owned by Australia already.

Because of that straight fact of ownership, we pay tankerfulls of cash to Australia:

Beyond our banking system, in which Australia truly owns our ass

(read: owns our mortgages), Australia is far and away our biggest “foreign” owner.

Go right ahead and talk about our freedom and our nationhood and our indomitable tiny “can do” “number 8 Wire attitude”, but in reality we are a state of Australia already in all but name.

You can in fact talk about cultural identity and special uniqueness and Maori and 100% Pure if you like.

Or, just follow the money.

In the upcoming Australian budget, Australia will pay for massive date fibre line for Papua New Guinea and the Solomons.

Call it aid, call it colonization, call it do the right thing, call it the First By A Nose At Trehtham. It’s just an honest reflection of reality.

No one’s selling out or remaining ‘nationhood’, ‘manhood’, ‘ANZAC spirit’, or the Treaty of Waitangi. We’re both Westminster Commonwealth democracies under the same monarchy. We’re both reflexive liberal states. We are the same in all but minor inflected upward terminal diphthongs.

At minimum, all I’m suggesting, is we stop feigning ignorance of our real position to Australia. The New Zealand government should pick up the phone and have a conversation with the Australian Treasurer every budget time, and synchronize their budgets for the same day.

23 comments on “Australia and New Zealand budget days ”

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  1. Gabby 1
    7 May 2018 at 8:37 am

    Sure, we should leave a 3 month gap to allow time to consider retaliation carefully.

  2. shorts 2
    7 May 2018 at 9:34 am

    what is the advantage of the two nations releasing their budgets on the same day?

    I can’t find one in the article

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1
      7 May 2018 at 11:55 am

      +111

      • Matthew Whitehead 2.1.1
        7 May 2018 at 11:49 pm

        Also doesn’t really make a good case that we’re a de facto state of Australia, either, just that Australia rents out a lot of our country back to us because we cancelled our own retirement investment scheme. You would need a lot more values commonality or governance commonality for that, and New Zealand essentially aligning its regulations with whatever Australia does on most major issues. That simply isn’t happening.

  3. Antoine 3
    7 May 2018 at 9:39 am

    The choice of Budget date seems like small potatoes.

    How about leaving it as it is and shortening the summer recess of Parliament??

    A.

  4. Gosman 4
    7 May 2018 at 10:10 am

    What actual benefit would doing this give us as a nation beyond apparently acknowledging “economic reality”?

  5. Bill 5
    7 May 2018 at 10:32 am

    Big hairy guy – a fair 6′ 2″ (and that’s just between the eyes) – is sitting just across me at the moment and anxiously clutching his pearls. Just saying there Ad 😉

  6. dukeofurl 6
    7 May 2018 at 10:33 am

    Why dont we synchronise with Queensland then, mid June.
    This idea of synchronising with Australia is batty

  7. JohnSelway 7
    7 May 2018 at 10:51 am

    Why? We are a different nation. Who cares when Australia does what

  8. cleangreen 8
    7 May 2018 at 11:00 am

    Shit; John,

    At the last census we had around 15% of our people possibly living in Australia at least part of the time!

    So maybe we need to think who is leaving to settle in Australia part time at least for their retirement for better weather and sunshine, considering that’s what our past J Key PM has also done. (I am sure J key would approve of this idea; that I think is daft; – but;…….

    What say you?

  9. Draco T Bastard 9
    7 May 2018 at 11:54 am

    We are both shifting from a manufacturing to a services economy at about the same time.

    Can’t see this as a good move. We lose skills and development capability all so that everyone can start working in retail.

    $2 of every $5 we have in New Zealand is owned by Australia already.

    Because of that straight fact of ownership, we pay tankerfulls of cash to Australia:

    Beyond our banking system, in which Australia truly owns our ass

    Which tells us that we need to ban offshore ownership. Not become even more beholden to another state.

    In the upcoming Australian budget, Australia will pay for massive date fibre line for Papua New Guinea and the Solomons.

    So?

    The New Zealand government should pick up the phone and have a conversation with the Australian Treasurer every budget time, and synchronize their budgets for the same day.

    There is no reason to do so and you haven’t even attempted to make an argument to do so. All you’ve really stated is that we’re owned by Australia so we should just become Australians.

  10. patricia bremner 10
    7 May 2018 at 12:44 pm

    Just because previous Governments imagined open borders would help NZ, (Muldoon) and quote “It will raise the IQ’s of both nations.” Doesn’t mean it has!!

    Australians own the 4 big banks, but Cullen separated their operations to have them come under NZ law, so has saved us from some predatory practices.

    If we became part of Australia, we would fare worse than Tasmania IMO.

    I talk to Australians often, and they find our pension and Kiwi saver superior for poorer and ordinary people, saying “to be well off in retirement one has to own a property which has to be leveraged to shares through a loan to increase wealth” I was told it can work or go very badly.

    Further, we love the winter warmth and seeing all our family over there, son, brother and cousins. We find food shopping cheaper because of fierce competition, but then discovered the growers sometimes were offered below costs prices for their crops as the supermarkets tied them to contracts.

    Granted, we often add an imaginary GST amount to our bill, (as there is no GST on whole foods) and marvel at the difference, 15% which allows us to eat out twice a week over there.

    Remember though, their top rate of tax is 45%.

    They also have an upper and lower house in parliament, plus each State has their own laws for just about everything, with over riding Federal Law as well.

    Car Rego in QLD is about $680.00 for a moderate 4 seater.

    They have Medicare, but it has been trimmed and Aussies now have to have Hospital insurance. Very American in many ways. Also Bill, each State has a budget, as well as the Federal one.

    • dukeofurl 10.1
      7 May 2018 at 1:00 pm

      Australian GST is applied to supermarket prices at 10%, but they have exception for ‘basic food’ , ie vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, bread milk , basic canned goods

      Your supermarket bill should show GST, so you dont need to guess. Just think 15% of the total – minus the GST shown on your bill.
      Your claim of eating out twice a week on the 15% of supermarket bill , Im guessing $250 pw which 15% gives $ 37.50 for meals out for 2 twice a week. Maybe a pizza each ?

      • patricia bremner 10.1.1
        7 May 2018 at 2:10 pm

        No, dukeofurl, we go to the pubs and clubs for their lunch or dinner special for pensioners. I should have said we afford one outing and the GST savings pays for the other) I didn’t express that very well sorry.

        Pensioner specials are often 2 courses for $10.00. One pub had fish and chips for $7.50 .. mind you if you wanted two fish it was an extra $5.00. Coffee /Tea complimentary, and free entertainment as well. Twin Towns and the Pub in Coolangatta’s Ocean Plaza complex Gold Coast, plus the Bowls Club at Burliegh Heads All have Cheap Tuesday. Cheers.

        We have Police Clearances, and joined a House sitting Club in Australia…Aussiehousesitters.com Have a look. Free accommodation for 2 to 12 weeks .You can do a profile online and apply for sits to mind homes and pets. We do this, as well as visit family, and pay for apartments shared with friends.

        Bribie Island is lovely and going through Bribie Island Real Estate you can hire private units, apartments or beach houses, starting at $375 a week for two Queen bed 2 bath unit near the club and beach Shared with cleaning it is $210 per couple. Cheaper than most NZ camp grounds. (add on airfares of course, though as we go for 4 to 6 months each winter, it is a spread cost.. about $80 dollars a month.)

        I realise we are lucky to have an established son and brother over there happy to have us stay should arrangements fall over. We have been doing this since we got the pension 11 years ago, and hope to go two or three more times. We might come home early IF I get a specialist appointment in October for my hip, but Dr. supports what we are doing while we wait. Quote”Live your life Trish…76 not out”

  11. OnceWasTim 11
    7 May 2018 at 1:38 pm

    “Isn’t it time we at least synchronized the New Zealand budget with the Australian budget?”
    Probably not at Ad, unless……
    – your focus and vision is all about the economic rather than the social
    – and unless you’re prepared to have Australia to continue to regard us as “their little brothers” who should know their place
    – and unless you’re happy with the comparative way in which Okkers treat their indigenous and ‘New Australians’ until they become subservient enough to accept that an amporphous mass that gives them accreditation to the Australia – land of ….WHATEVER THE FUCK ITS BECOME” versus the lesser evil in the way we’ve treated our indigenous (AND even that’s fucking scandal)
    – and unless you’re advocating for what you see as an economic structure and its viability being supreme (dominated by an Australian view of how we should conduct ourselves) versus what is acceptable to Koiwois – many of whom are now coming ‘home’ (“home”)
    – etc
    – or unless you’re a comfortably off little fuckwit somewhere down south that thinks they’re intellectually and academically superior, and who has a guaranteed venue to express his/her views in place (ooops ‘space’) that has ‘left-wing legitimacy – at least let winf ‘cred’ , and that those qualifications should reign supreme. All of course in the very best interests and concern for ‘the people’.
    -etc

    PLEASE @Ad …… ‘THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!’ (/sarc)

  12. Nic the NZer 12
    7 May 2018 at 5:03 pm

    Oh goody. A pointless symbollic and meaningless gesture. What was the word count on this? Could it not have been tweeted?

  13. Doogs 13
    8 May 2018 at 6:55 am

    Large piece of cynicism Ad. You have grabbed at a few things and corralled them together to fit your story. Just a join the dots exercise, I’m afraid.

  14. Zorb6 14
    8 May 2018 at 7:15 am

    Shall we use the same currency as well?
    Australia is almost a state of the U.S anyway.The present P.M is first to stand by U.S foreign policy,no questions asked.
    NZ needs more independence,not less.

  15. Cold Hard Truth 15
    8 May 2018 at 8:20 am

    Hey its ok. The same shadow globalists who run Australia also run New Zealand. Once the CP-TPP is signed it will all make sense.

  16. pdm 16
    8 May 2018 at 9:41 am

    I cannot see any point in both budgets being on the same day – we are independent countries.

    Good to see that Australia will be including tax cuts though.

  17. mosa 17
    8 May 2018 at 6:06 pm

    I saw no valid reason from moving the budget announcement from July as it always was to May in the first place.

    Like the Aussies would ever even consider aligning anything they do with this country unless it was to benefit them first.