This report gives interested readers greater access to the complex workings of the Australian defence fudget and promotes informed debate on defence budget issues. A summary is available online.

The budget is not convincing enough to advance the treasurer’s ambitions, according to John Edwards.

For Nicholas Gruen, Peter Costello’s tenth budget is a reminder of earlier days.

Every federal budget raises a host of issues and generates a good deal of discussion. In this paper David Richardson examines just a few of the issues arising out of the 2004 budget.

According to the budget statement Australia's official development assistance outlay for 2004-05 is an estimated $2133 million, more than $239 million over the 2003-04 budget figure of $1894 million. This represents a 'real increase' of 9.9 per cent. While this observation is technically correct it does not indicate the actual increase in outlay. With the...