Ross Gittins is economics editor of the SMH and an economic columnist for The Age. His books include Gittins' Guide to Economics, Gittinomics and The Happy Economist.
It's the time of year when treasurers and finance ministers, asked about the content of the budget, reply with righteous indignation that we'll just have to wait, as though they've been asked to break the official secrets act, while their ministerial colleagues are busily leaking or even announcing large slabs of what's to come.
We have a widening divide in our suburbs, the local school isn't the institution it used to be.
What's the four-letter word politicians of both stripes most use to bamboozle voters? Jobs.
You know the remarkably high price of homes is now a top issue for our politicians, state and federal. But you may need reminding that house prices are an intergenerational issue.
I can't remember when there's been so much speculation about what the future holds for working life. Or when those who imagine they know what the future holds have worked so hard to scare the dickens out of our kids.
It's drawn little comment, but the decades-long drift of students from government to non-government schools has ended.
It has cost the budget a lot of money to make the prices of homes as hard to afford as they now are.
Our politicians, asked to explain their policy on X will switch to expounding on what's wrong with their opponents' supposed policy.
There's a long history of politicians professing to be terribly concerned about "the cost of living" and nothing good ever comes of it. It's always about saying things to keep or win your vote and rarely about doing anything real – let alone sensible – about prices.
As we've sweltered through this terrible summer - and lately, as bushfires have raged - what a comfort it's been to know that climate change doesn't exist and isn't happening.
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