Thread by @iMusing

good morning👑happy Sunday! Today on #Insiders are ABC radio host Patricia Karvelas, 9fax columnist Sean Kelly and AFR senior corro Jacob Gerber. The interview is with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor.

opening spiel: budgets are about choices. Speers says, as he did last week, that we will find out about Labor Party priorities on budget night. Labor wants to do it all, he says, which is not true. #Insiders

budget editorialising. Surplus v structural deficit. The tax change on gas production, which I missed. Is this a montage? Karvelas voice over, Chalmers jogging. Gallagher saying strong a lot. Hume posturing. Lowe on inflation. #Insiders

the RBA is “playing Russian roulette” with inflation and “trying to kill the Australian economy” lotta overwrought economists here. A spliced segment of Chalmers saying vulnerable over and fucking over. #Insiders

#MakingNews is King Charles III. “Loyal subjects cheered in below” says Speers. Yes and republicans were arrested (Ed). The gas tax change, again. Pre-selection for Fadden now that Stuart Robert is fucking off. #Insiders

more editorialising. Taxing corporations should be popular or something. Panel starts with Kelly. What is this budget trying to achieve? Kelly says Labor understands that “this government can not do everything”. #Insiders

apparently Albanese is all about sequencing (not people eating). He wants to be seen as responsible economic management, says Kelly (so, countering Coalition-media economic management lies). #Insiders

the economic management message - which is closed political class loop with no foundation in fact - is repeated by Karvelas. Will there be an across the board increase in Jobseeker in the budget, she says, and Speers says we will get to that later. #Insiders

could a drovers dog bring in a surplus in this economy. I missed Gerber on the structural deficit. Clip of Chalmers on one-off handouts for power bills? Gerber says the suggestion is this will be via the provider billing systems. #Insiders

Karvelas calls the budget lockup “the lockdown” lol and says there will be competing narratives in what is or is not inflationary. She says the welfare sector has run an effective campaign on #RaiseTheRate.

after Karvelas finishes explaining why #RaiseTheRate is needed, Speers says yes well he is not going to “give” then the full 54 billion (I think it was 54) dollar payment increase and switches to the resource rent tax. #Insiders

they (the government) have got to grab tax revenue somewhere, the lads agree. Gas company profits are sky high says Speers. Which they pay tax on, says Gerber and Speers hastens to assert that gas corporations pay every last cent of their tax liabilities [paraphrased] #Insiders

the treasurer has been in meetings daily to deal with the resources tax announcement, says Karvelas. The gas industry is lobbying them, says Gerber. Goodness. I hope these meetings and lobbyists are not slowing down the seamless efficiency of government machinery (Ed). #Insiders

clip of Chalmers - saying the Coalition should agree with the government - to segue to interview. Howz about this resources tax then? It was a dogs breakfast last time says Taylor. Not gonna comment. We need more detail. The government is secretive. #Insiders

the resource rent tax tho? I dunno sneers Taylor. Detail. We haven’t seen it. Inflation is bad. Labor are bad. You opposed the super tax loophole, do you oppose increasing the PRRT? Tobacco tax? Nah yeah dunno inflation, says Taylor [abbr] #Insiders

we need an inflation fighting budget, says Taylor. No follow up on where this unicorn lives. Everyone is being “hurt” and “hit” by inflation and you e got to help “all vulnerable Australians not just the ones you pick out” [he means middle class handouts] #Insiders

what #RaiseTheRate? There are 400K+ vacancies, says Taylor, and the priority is getting people into work. There are workers wanted signs in the windows of towns, he says, with a shit-eating folksy bloke of the people grin [friend of the bosses] #Insiders

we knew there would be a surplus once Vic and NSW economies re-opened, says Taylor. They did not commit to a surplus, he says. So what? Well if you do not commit you never reach it, says member of 9-year budget deficit former government. #Insiders

they inherited a budget in surplus, says Taylor. We did have budget balance in 2019, he lies, as tho forecasts and bottom lines are the same thing. Yes he is blaming Labor for not bringing down inflation says Taylor #Insiders

lmao Taylor repeats some “highest inflation” talking point and Speers says he fact checked and lists countries with higher inflation. Core inflation tho says Taylor. #Insiderw

you lost Aston, how about Fadden? Inflation tax everyone everything inflation inflation says Taylor. Every election is tough, he says. By-election, says Speers. #Insiders

he has been going to places, says Taylor, all around the country. Tax kitchen tables inflation is tax, he babbles repeatedly. We got the point on that, says Speers, will you get a swing in Fadden? Tuff tax inflation, says Taylor. #Insiders

panel. Why is Robert going? Is it to spend more time with his family? Karvelas says #Robodebt debacle had many authors. Robert also claimed that cabinet solidarity involved lying to the public, she and Speers agree. Poor Peter Dutton, says Karvelas😣#Insiders

surely they should have a super Saturday instead of this drip drip drip says Speers. Clip of Dutton saying the Liberals will preslek a local inFadden. Kelly says he is pre-inoculating a by-election loss? Was that the point? #Insiders

there has been talk of [losing Qld Senate candidate] Amanda Stoker, who is not a Fadden local. Karvelas says “the local element was part of the Aston loss”. She means Aston WIN. The Labor local WON, the NON-local Liberal lost. #Insiders

graph to fact-check the older woman homeless myth (that was spread on #Insiders last week btw). There are waaaay more homeless young people (as I and many others have been saying). Kelly reminds us of the drug testing bullshit Abbott and Morrison were so into.

there has been a rise in empathy since JSP has become increasingly inadequate, polling shows, says Kelly. People want to look after everyone. We are no longer punching down - this us sentiment, not actual policy - but caring about homeless and poor people. #Insiders

some free advice from Karvelas for Dutton to “go housing” in his budget reply speech. They are going hard on inflation and migration (yes, economic management lies and xenophobia are tried and true Coalition strategy - Ed) #Insiders

clip on aged care worker pay. Gerber brings aged care worker need and skilled worker migration “balance” and there is “backlash from both the far right and the far left who want closed borders”. Jesus🤧#Insiders

wages-flation. Incredible how wage rises for low paid workers or unemployed workers are all FLATION FLATION when the current inflation and gist of living CRiSiS happened without #RaiseTheRate #Insiders

rates go up when inflation goes up says Gerber and he explains why workers looking out for their own interests is FLATION flationary unlike all other public spending, corporate profits, CEO bonuses etc :/s #Insiders

wage increases are being driven by profits? I think that’s what Gerber said but I did not quite follow the line of thought there. #Insiders

clip of Albanese saying he voted yes for a republic, will respect the institution of the crown. Speers quotesGrant on the crown being a “symbol” of colonisation. Kelly says Albanese is a process man. He will change institutions eg the Voice but respect the ones we have. #Insiders

something happens to prime ministers when they go to London, to Westminster Abbey, says Karvelas. Obviously Albanese is a Republican but the spectacle is dazzling. Kelly promotes his sequencing theory again. They mean reformism and incrementalism. #Insiders

he does not want to be debating constitutional questions the whole time says Speers. The panel agree that this timid reformist approach is wise and good [paraphrased] because the public (read: media interests) #Insiders

#TalkingPictures Amanda is a back to you Speersy laydee. #Insiders

#FinalObs 1 is Gerber saying something about take out the trash optics. I missed it - bit noisy here. #Insiders

#FinalObs 2 is Karvelas on the transphobia, division and unelectability of the Victorian Liberal Party. #Insiders

#FinalObs 3 is Kelly saying Tony Barry (former liberal party operative turned pollster/analyst) is becoming a social media star and he described the Vic Libs as space shuttle Colombia crashing into the Hindenburg and landing on the decks of the titanic #Insiders

lmao Speers wants to share credit for Barry rising in visibility. He has not been on #Insiders

the outtake draws the through line from Chris Pyne to Marles. The gallery do love their retail politicians delivering free copy #Insiders

this has been another edition of watching #Insiders so you don’t have to👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

a few #CoronationQuiche visitors still here lol gotta go do breakfast now👑👍🏼