Sky News Darwin Bureau Chief Matt Cunningham says “it is a difficult time to be an opposition leader” saying the odds of an election this year has “shortened significantly” in the last 24 hours after the federal budget.
The federal government has not ruled out a further extension of the $7.8 billion temporary tax rebate for low and middle-income earners but says it must be wound up before the permanent stage three tax cuts – which include breaks for high income earners – begin in 2024.