Every year, journalists from around the country are locked into a room in Canberra with the task of making sense of the government’s proposed federal budget. The coverage usually falls along the lines of winners and losers. But how does something as massive as a country’s budget get made?

On this episode, we speak with Matt Flavel from the Department of the Treasury to find out how something so big and complex gets made. The answer- lots of takeaways and a USB sent to the printer.

Further Reading:

• Matt Flavel is the Deputy Secretary at the Australian Department of the Treasury
• The Federal Budget can be found here as of 7:30pm on April 02
• Follow Treasury on Twitter @Treasury_AU
• If you can’t get enough of the federal budget process, you can visit the Department of Finance website  to learn more.
• The Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 (The Charter) sets out principles and requirements that guide the government’s management of fiscal policy.

Music: Fabien Tell, Clarence Reed, Gunnar Johnsén, In Dawn

Photo: Jason L’Ecuyer