This Budget has some good measures around training and skills but still fails on reducing dependency on middle class welfare instead choosing to focus on the disadvantaged, completely out of step with traditional Labor values.

There are some good measures with wage subsidies to get longer term unemployed and disabled people into the workforce as long as there is not the repeat of the Howard measures where legitimately disabled people and those undergoing chemo treatments for cancer were harangued continuously into job seeking obligations.

The Baby Bonus which purports to cost around $1.5 billion per year remains.

Surely good economic management is about developing an economy that does not require an ever-growing demand for additional rebates, incentives or subsidies to families just to survive. Nothing in the Budget about affordable housing measures and an over emphasis on growth/productivity over other measures of wellbeing.

Very little on population sustainability but heartening to see some effort at regional development.

Overall a bit pee-week without making any real in-road into reducing the deficit and dependency on China.