ASYLUM SEEKERS AND MIGRANTS LOSE OUT

Refugees, people seeking asylum, and migrants are set to lose out on a number of fronts from Tuesday night’s budget, with the ABC reporting that the humanitarian program’s annual ceiling has been cut from 18,750 places to 13,750 — an Abbott-era rate — in an attempt to save almost $1 billion over the next four financial years.

Additionally, the Refugee Council notes that financial support for refugees and asylum seekers under the Status Resolution Support Service program has been progressively slashed over the past four budgets from $139.8 million in 2017-18 to just $19.6 million in 2020-21.

The Guardian also notes that $55.6 million will be spent over the next year to reactivate a Christmas Island facility in order to hold up to 250 “unlawful non-citizens” — which, wow — who come from both migrant and refugee backgrounds, have served prison sentences, and are unable to be deported due to COVID-19 restrictions.

And, on top of all this, a new language test requirement will bar Australians from sponsoring and marrying foreign partners who do not speak English, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

PS: For more on budget losers, see how the Morrison government plans to cut more than $41 million from homelessness services and social housing (SBS); has largely excluded older women from wage subsidies which are instead focussed on under-35-year-olds and male-dominated industries (The Age); and created a tax package The Australia Institute finds benefits the top 20% of income earners to the tune of 41% in 2020-21 and then — after lower-income earners get their one-off $2160$1080 refund — a whopping 88% in 2021-22.

OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS

Curiously, funding for offshore detention is set to jump from $961.7 million to $1.19 billion in 2020-21, before crashing to $307.5 million in 2021-22, $302.2 million in 2022-23 and $296.1 million in 2023-24.

While there is as yet no official explanation for the funding dip, one purely theoretical explanation for slashing annual offshore spending from around $1 billion for five years now to $300 million is that, sometime from between now and mid-2022, the government expects to relocate the final 350 detainees on Nauru and PNG and then keep the facilities themselves operating on standby.

It could also — and again this is spit-balling — have something to do with Jacqui Lambie’s decision to vote to repeal medivac in December 2019, after being informed of plans that she claimed she could not discuss publicly “due to national security concerns".

THE ALBANESE WAY OUT

In his very own leaked budget address, Anthony Albanese is today set to outline an alternative recovery strategy that envisions $500 million for social housing (The Conversation), free childcare for low-income earners (news.com.au), and more support for aged care, infrastructure, defence industry and manufacturing, welfare support, renewables, research and science (The Australian $). Despite criticism from the Greens, the Labor leader has also advised the tax office that the party will support the Coalition’s tax package.

Meanwhile The Guardian reports that Scott Morrison has pledged to deliver spending promises in the face of concerns the budget relies on accelerated growth and a vaccine becoming available by 2021. In a front-page splash at The Australian ($), the prime minister has also received promises of sorts from employers such as billionaire manufacturer Anthony Pratt and Jayco caravans owner Gerry Ryan to pursue business incentives and wage subsidies.

MOMENT OF TRUTH: TRUMP WALKS BACK PLEDGE TO BLOCK SUPPORT UNTIL ELECTION

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump has walked back a promise to block any future stimulus bills — which have already been left in limbo since the Democrat-controlled House passed a $3 trillion package in May and another $2.2 trillion bill on October 1 — until after the election, announcing on Twitter he would sign a stand-alone bill for $1200 stimulus checks.

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin enter negotiations, including relief for airline workers, CNN reports that the White House is making preparations for Trump’s eventual return to the Oval Office, including placing a so-called “isolation cart” filled with yellow medical gowns, respirator masks and plastic goggles for visitors next to assistants outside his door. The news comes after senior adviser Stephen Miller tested positive.

Coincidentally, a reassigned director at the National Institutes of Health Rick Bright — who filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that his early COVID-19 warnings were ignored and that his caution over hydroxychloroquine led to his removal — has announced his resignation from the government, alleging that the Trump administration “ignores scientific expertise, overrules public health guidance and disrespects career scientists.”

Finally, keep an eye out today for the Pence v Harris debate, it is sure to be excruciating!