The Budget Revisited: A national morality play

Every year in the Austral Autumn we are treated to a one night prime time performance of a national morality play known as The Budget. Its implicit message is similar to the annual report for a large business in that it aims to present the best possible picture of the condition of the enterprise and its current management. However, while the corporate version focuses on productivity and profit, the government’s version is all about taxing and spending. Another key difference is that the corporate report highlights accomplishments whereas The Budget is mostly about promises.