The Gillard Labor government is due to bring down the 2011 federal budget next Tuesday 10 May. Charles Sturt University (CSU) has experienced and credible commentators to provide considered analysis of the budget and what it means for the communities of regional Australia as well as the nation.

 

These commentators can discuss such areas as:

 

Professor John Hicks, economics expert (based in Bathurst), says, “The 2011 federal budget presents an opportunity for the government to slow growth in government expenditure and ease the pressure building on interest rates. This would encourage a higher level of investment from the private sector than might otherwise occur”.

 

Dr Mark Frost, finance expert (Orange), says, “This budget is unique in that it needs to address a ‘two speed’ economy, with very different financial conditions both geographically and between industries. The recent strong economic contributions of mining and agriculture add to the complexity of the situation.”

 

Mr Tom Murphy, director of the Western Research Institute (Bathurst) and chief researcher for the quarterly Westpac / Charles Sturt University Agribusiness Index.

 

Dr Dominic O’Sullivan (Bathurst) says, “The upcoming budget is this federal government's chance to re-set the political agenda on its own terms”.

 

Professor Deirdre Lemerle, agricultural innovator and Director of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Wagga Wagga), says, “Support for agricultural research and training is essential for the generation of new knowledge to maintain agricultural productivity gains and environmental protection especially with the challenges of climate change, resource scarcity and the critical skills shortage”.

 

Professor Patrick Ball, regional health expert (Wagga Wagga), says, “Primary healthcare is critical for rural communities as needing hospital care always involves travel and disruption to lives and families, for those in the country, keeping well is the key”.

 

Associate Professor Roslin Brennan Kemmis, Head of School of Education (Wagga Wagga), says, “While rewarding teachers is a wonderful initiative, how will they be judged as ‘top’ or otherwise? Using the blunt instruments of students’ test scores to decide is a narrow interpretation of the work of teachers and denies the rich array of backgrounds and experiences that school students bring with them. Perhaps there are better ways to raise the esteem of teachers and the esteem in which they are held in the community.”