The Coalition can choose not to revert to trickle-down economics in the budget | Peter Lewis

Instead of cutting taxes for high-income earners, the money could go on social housing or maintaining welfare payments

While the health and economic challenges our governments have confronted over the past six months of the pandemic have been profound, the actual politics have been remarkably straightforward.

Governments at both state and federal level acted on advice from experts to contain the virus, worked collaboratively and invested behind people and businesses to soften the impact of the consequent disruption. Smart oppositions recognised there was little point in carping and did their part in taking the partisan politics out of the crisis.