Federal budget still keeping people on the margins
- deansimpson7
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
BY ANTHONY CASTLE
The 2025-26 Budget, the fourth federal budget of the Albanese Labor Government, was handed down on Tuesday, March 25.
Working for justice is at the heart of The Salvation Army's work in Australia and is integral to its ethos, mission and vision. Through advocacy, The Salvation Army influences key decision-makers and those who have the power to implement social policy change.
“Every budget is important,” explains Jennifer Kirkaldy, The Salvation Army’s Manager of Policy and Advocacy. “Unless a policy is budgeted for, it’s just words. This budget is crucial, though, as it is part of an election platform, revealing the priorities of a potential government over the coming years.”
“We are concerned that the cost-of-living relief isn’t helping those who need it most.” – Jennifer Kirkaldy
The Salvation Army knows from experience that systems-based advocacy, which addresses the root causes of social problems, can make a huge difference to those experiencing hardship and injustice. This budget will be a springboard for the forthcoming 2025 federal election, and its focus is indicative of the major issues likely to arise during the election campaign.
“We welcome the good measures in this budget, many of which reflect the concerns we saw in the Social Justice Stocktake,” Jennifer says. “They are finding the same issues we are, things like housing, mental health, cost-of-living, and health. This budget is dealing with the same problems but approaching them with different solutions.”
The Salvation Army checked in across the nation through its Social Justice Stocktake in 2024, talking with almost 16,000 Australians across every state and territory and in every electorate. The issues highlighted by respondents as of most concern are housing affordability and homelessness, mental health, financial hardship and inclusion, access to health care, and alcohol and drug misuse. Key items in the federal budget include:
• ‘Cost-of-living’ measures including:
o Modest income tax cuts for all taxpayers, and
o One-off household energy rebates.
• Significant investments in health including:
o Measures to incentivise bulk billing, and
o Lowering of costs of pharmaceuticals.
• Measures to assist with housing including:
o Assistance with first home buying,
o Restrictions on foreign ownership of dwellings, and
o Incentives for residential construction traineeships.
“Healthcare access is an excellent story, with more for bulk billing and urgent care clinics,” Jennifer says. “There are things for first homeowners and construction, but there isn’t enough on the social and affordable housing we know we need to deliver. There is some more investment for mental health, but we need to address the underlying causes, in terms of financial hardship and inclusion.”
Some key sector recommendations, most notably increasing JobSeeker and Youth Allowance, were not included in the budget.
“There is nothing for Jobseeker, nothing for Youth Allowance,” Jennifer says. “We are concerned that the cost-of-living relief isn’t helping those who need it most. The support is good with utilities and tax relief, but there aren’t targeted measures that help the people The Salvation Army is most worried about. These are targeted towards the middle, but not the margins.”
