The government's critics could be spot on in suggesting Wayne Swan got the numbers wrong - not because they have superior insight into the economy, but because it's near impossible to get economic forecasting right, writes Jeffrey Braithwaite.
The targeted additions to spending in the budget are in part symbolic, but also likely to be quite progressive in their impact, write Peter Whiteford and Gerry Redmond.
According to the federal government, quick action to instigate stimulus policies saved the Australian economy. The real story is rather different though, writes Peter Swan.
The Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has launched the nation's first Longevity Index at the opening of the Australian Institute for Population Ageing Research at UNSW.
