Sign up and forward my weekly dispatches to your friends so they can join our discussion about Australia and the world. ______The ritual of Australia’s federal budget, with leaks, a lockup and then a flood of coverage about winners and losers often reminds me of an awards show. It’s the Oscars for fiscal fanatics, politics reporters and a boom-era government that has plenty of money to move around. This year I did not, which gave me a chance to focus on one element of the budget announcement: Australia’s relationship to the wider world. And there’s another undisclosed pool of money for undisclosed activities.

Source: New York Times May 10, 2018 01:43 UTC