Australia has had ‘game-changer’ budgets before. How does Chalmers’ stack up?

Australia has had ‘game-changer’ budgets before. How does Chalmers’ stack up?

Of the many budgets delivered since the Second World War, four stand out as having ushered in or consolidated significant economic reform. These were Ben Chifley’s in 1942, Bill Hayden’s in 1975, Paul Keating’s in 1989 and Peter Costello’s in 1996. Joe Hockey’s 2014 budget tried to bring about lasting reform, but its failure tended to make later governments timid. So, how did those budgets change Australia, and how does this year’s effort compar…