A budget, a battleground, and a bigger vision.

It took all of a few minutes after the Federal Budget was handed down for the headlines to start pouring in: 'Winners and losers - who came out on top?' 

It’s pretty predictable at this point. Every year the budget is ‘zero-sum gamified’. There are winners and there are losers and the goal is simply to end up on the right side of the ledger. I totally get it - the reality is that a budget will always benefit some groups more than others. 

But I think Jesus invites us to see things differently. 

This year’s budget happened to be handed down right in the middle of our Lent podcast series, Everything is Political. A timely reminder that our faith has so much to say about the shape of our politics. Throughout this series we have been reminded of Jesus’ vision for the world; not one of winners and losers, but of grace, of love, of inclusion, and of justice. It is a vision of flourishing communities where everyone is able to experience the fullness of life that God intends.  

When we begin to imagine our world as it could be and should be, we begin to see the budget not as a zero-sum game, but as an opportunity to create a society that reflects God’s heart. The budget is an expression of who we are as a nation and where our priorities lie. It matters because people matter; and because the decisions that are made by our Government when determining the budget affect the lives of our neighbours. 

And so, I think as followers of Jesus, we are invited to look beyond the budget as a battleground to be won or lost, and instead to ask:  

How does this budget move our nation towards a vision of safe, free, flourishing communities, for the common good and our common home? 

I’d love to help us unpack if and how this budget moves us towards this vision, paying particular attention to how it impacts our key justice areas. 

Justice for People Seeking Asylum

This year’s budget was handed down amidst one of the world’s most significant displacement crises in history. Over 120 million people are currently displaced by war, violence and persecution. Around 44 million people have fled their home countries and are currently in need of safe refuge. 

It is disappointing, then, to see our humanitarian intake remain unchanged for the second year in a row. 

After increasing the humanitarian intake from 13,750 to 20,000 when Labor initially came into government, the number has stayed strikingly stagnant.  This is in spite of Labor’s own party platform calling for an increase to 27,000 plus an additional 10,000 places through complementary pathways (such as the community support program). 

That said, there are two small funding boosts to be noted and welcomed. The first is an increase of $7.7 million to the Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration program to help boost refugee employment, and a $3.5 million increase over three years to establish the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement program, following the conclusion of the pilot program. It should be noted, however, that there is no increase to the humanitarian intake as part of this. 

As other powerful nations around the world choose to look inward - slashing aid and closing borders - this could have been an opportunity for our Government to act with generosity and compassion and to follow through on the commitment they made when they came to power. In a world of ever-increasing need, Australia’s humanitarian intake is failing to keep pace. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice

Most of what was included in Tuesday night’s budget had already been announced previously. However, it is worth pointing out a few key initiatives that the Government will be implementing as part of their $1.3bn Closing the Gap investment over the next 6 years that relate to our specific justice areas.

The first is $21.8 million for family, domestic and sexual violence services. This is a welcome increase in a much-needed space. In 2022-23, First Nations women were 34 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-indigenous women. This funding will deliver critical prevention, early intervention and response services. We will continue to call on the Government to ensure that this funding is primarily delivered through Aboriginal community controlled organisations.

The second is an $842.6 million investment over six years in the Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment. Partnering with the NT Government and Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT, the funding will support critical services and infrastructure for First Nations women, children, and families. A big part of this is investing in Aboriginal Community Controlled Children and Family Centres, giving communities more say in creating culturally appropriate solutions to improve safety and wellbeing. Greater investment in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations is something that Common Grace has been calling for, so we are really pleased to see this being prioritised. 

Thirdly, we saw a $3.1m investment in the newly created Office of the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children. This dedicated and independent body will protect and advocate for the rights, safety and wellbeing of First Nations children across Australia. It is our deep hope and prayer that this new Commissioner will, among other things, listen deeply to First Nations children and their families, and work to reduce the systemic injustices that prevent these children from flourishing. 

We are also encouraged by the huge $5bn commitment over 4 years to reforming early education and care for all Australian children and families. A key focus of this investment is supporting First Nations children by addressing barriers they face in accessing early learning services.Education also plays a crucial role in reducing the likelihood of children coming into contact with the criminal justice system, so we are hopeful that this funding will go some way to addressing the overrepresentation of First Nations children in the justice system.

As was the case last year, it was disappointing to see a lack of targeted investment in voice, truth-telling and treaty. As we continue to wrestle with the nation’s No vote in the 2023 referendum, we need to continue imagining new paths forward to progress these calls, rather than abandon them. 

Domestic and Family Violence 

While the rate of women being killed by a current or former partner continues to fall, the problem remains endemic in Australia and our need to address it is urgent. 

This year’s budget mostly highlighted the work that the Government is already doing to address the scourge of domestic and family violence in our nation. 

A few new things to note:

• About 500 new community sector and frontline worker jobs will be created across the country under a $277.7 million boost.
• The government has also allocated $70 million to existing services and to trial new measures to support women and children experiencing violence.
• There will be $21.4 million invested over three years from 2025-26 to improve victim and survivor engagement within the justice system. 

This brings Australia’s investments in women’s safety to over $4bn since 2022. While there is so much more that needs to be done in this space, it is encouraging to see the way our Government has significantly scaled up investments in this justice area over the last four years. 

We also know lack of affordable housing sees too many women choosing to remain in violent relationships rather than face the prospect of homelessness and poverty. 

We welcome the government's effort to expand its shared equity scheme, with particular considerations for single parents and the investment in the family home guarantee scheme, which will help more women in vulnerable situations secure housing.

Climate and Creation Care 

The Government is continuing to invest in Australia's transition to a clean energy future, but sadly there were no new announcements, and not enough is being done to accelerate our pace. 

Energy was a clear focus, specifically reducing the costs of energy bills for Australians. $1.8bn of electricity bill rebates will provide relief for households - however, we continue to call on the government to think boldly about reducing power bills and slashing climate pollution by increasing investments in rooftop solar, household batteries, electrification and energy efficiency. 

The budget mostly confirmed funding for climate commitments that the Government had already made. This includes $3bn in funding for investment in green iron and aluminium, and $2bn for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in renewable power and storage, energy efficiency and other low-emission technology. 

Natural disasters also got a bit of airtime. The 2025 budget shows that the cost of Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be about $1.2bn, and that climate-fueled disasters already cost us $13.5bn. As climate change worsens, so too will the intensity of natural disasters across the country. It is imperative that we begin spending more on permanent solutions that reduce our emissions and build our resilience to natural hazards and disaster response. This year’s budget announced a $28.8 million investment towards this end, and $354 million over 4 years for projects that support flood resilience. While welcome, this funding pales in comparison to the already-enormous costs of recovering from increasingly severe climate-driven disasters.

Wrapping up

We welcome and celebrate these positive steps in this budget. The difference these initiatives can make for individuals and communities should not be understated. Sadly, like the many budgets that have come before it, it's a long way from being a budget that truly prioritises the future we yearn for - a nation filled with safe, free and flourishing communities.

And so, our advocacy continues! As a movement, we will continue to call on our decision-makers to make just and compassionate policy decisions, and invite our nation into a beautiful new story of flourishing for all. 

With an election due to be called any moment now, we invite you to join us as we act in prayer and action to help move our nation towards the safe, free, and flourishing future that God intends.