Why Set Up the PBO If the Government Won’t Use It?
Commentary
Victoria’s Parliamentary Budget Office’s (PBO) latest report (pdf) has revealed that the Labor government, who set it up, did not even use it to cost its 2022 election promises.
The report notes that “There appears to be a disconnect between the Treasurer’s 2016 speech recommending the bill to parliament, in which he outlined his intent for the PBO to support open and democratic government by levelling the playing field between government and the opposition, minor parties and independent members.”
Rather than using the PBO, Labor used taxpayer-funded resources to cost its policies.
The PBO was established in 2017 as an addition to the state’s political integrity system. Operating since April 2018, it provides ongoing policy costing and advisory services to Victorian MPs, as well as playing a role in public debate about financial matters and policies….