The recent federal Budget included $2 billion worth of funding for a ‘Hydrogen Headstart’ program. Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing, provided some details on the government’s reasoning for the program: “This Budget was a great budget for Australian manufacturing. Two billion dollars in the Hydrogen Headstart program, which will be there to create a market for hydrogen production in Australia to make sure hydrogen production is onshore in Australia with Australian technology and an Australian workforce.

Tuesday night’s federal Budget forecast a “surge in net overseas migration” over the next couple of years, as fewer people leave and many overseas students, skilled temporary visa holders and working holidaymakers return following the pandemic. The “surge” is expected to be temporary – a rebound from the huge decline in net migration during the pandemic – but never one to miss out on a headline, opposition leader Peter Dutton went on the attack:

Today is federal Budget day, which means I’d be remiss if I didn’t write something about it; after all, everything from the $14 billion in ‘cost of living relief’ to the first surplus in 15 years has already been leaked to the media. The surplus # Don’t let the word ‘surplus’ lead you astray; this Budget will be as big spending as any of the previous 15 years' worth of debt-building deficits.