Budgets from both sides of politics for years have been exercises in kicking the can down the road.

This means the real issues hurting family budgets are not fixed.

Last night’s Chalmers’ budget was no different.

The fastest growing area of government spending is interest payments on our gross debt which is about to crack $1 trillion.

Imagine if your household budget operated like this.

Interest costs are even bigger than the NDIS which is out of control – another structural issue not fixed.

Labor will increase government spending across programs by $32.5 billion over the forward estimates while piling on another $100 billion in debt.

Spending is out of control.

The tax take is the highest in 23 years despite the “tax cuts for everyone”.

Average wage earners receiving $15 per week in tax relief will hardly notice any economic sunshine.

If governments were serious about easing cost of living, they would stop subsidising renewables, repay debt, lower taxes, reduce immigration and cut government spending.

High immigration, high inflation and red tape preventing land release and building approvals has made housing unaffordable.

The failure to act on deep seated structural problems is driving the cost-of-living crisis, particularly the decarbonisation of the economy which both sides of politics are pursuing through net zero.

The $300 power rebate is an insult because the massive electricity price hikes have been caused by government.

It is a political fix because of Anthony Albanese’s foolish pre-election pledge that  renewables would reduce power bills by $275 per household.

If the electricity grid had not been vandalised in the first place, “energy bill relief” would not have been needed.

But more vandalism is in store. Transitioning the economy from affordable and reliable coal and gas to windmills and solar panels is the centrepiece of the budget through the $22 billion “Future Made in Australia” subsidy scheme.

This is a gamble on unproven electricity generation technology which has already driven the cost of energy well beyond the $300 they are going to give us back in $75/quarter rebates.

Whether it is unsustainable debt or misguided energy policy, Australia is heading in the wrong economic direction.

The only reason there is brief surplus of $9 billion (rocketing to $28 billion and then $42 billion over the next two budgets) is because of a windfall in coal, gas and iron ore royalties where prices have been well above average.

These are the very industries demonised by the net zero-loving political Labor, Liberal, Green, Teal quad.

The hypocrisy is Labor and Liberal governments wedded to net zero are keen for the coal cash as long as we don’t burn it here.

They want us to believe we are saving the planet and that our electricity price pain is worth it to be virtuous.

The tax cuts and “cost of living relief” measures total $32 billion. With households under pressure, they are likely to spend and this risks making inflation worse.

Time will tell.

At a time when China and Russia are re-arming, Australia’s defence spending remains woefully inadequate – another structural issue in the budget unaddressed.

Sadly this is a budget aimed at short term electoral gain and is certainly the last before the next election which some speculate might come before Christmas.

Sadly this is how both sides have been framing budgets.

The structural issues like government debt and spending which would make a real difference over the long term remain on the never never.