This is the opinion of former Liberal Party leader Dr John Hewson in the lead up to the reveal of the 2017 Federal Budget.

There have been many leaks of what the budget will contain in the lead up to the annoucement, including for education, infrastructure and housing.

Dr Hewson said he thought it would be a very political document, addressing pressure points the Turnbull government currently faced.

“I think they will be ticking boxes,” he said.

“They will reveal funding for education, health and new infrastructure projects, including inland rail, the Badgerys Creek airport and possibly even Snowy Hydro.”

Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones said he hoped the budget would address three main areas of concern for the Highlands.

“I particularly want to see a roll back of Abbott policies on the Medicare rebate freeze and GP cutbacks,” he said.

“Hospital funding is also a key issue in the Highlands, and we need certainty around pensions and superannuation.

“We’ve also got to deal with the telecommunications mess in the Highlands, so there needs to be funding to cover the mobile phone black spots.”

Dr Hewson said the public should keep an eye on many of the promises to be made in the budget.

“Some may be kites – floating ideas – rather than decisions.”

Dr Hewson said he thought the government would announce a further crackdown on welfare cheats.

“The biggest areas in welfare are aged pensions, families with children and disability assistance – which is running away as a cost item,” he said.

“There will also be a housing affordability package, possibly with a scheme where people could save a tax fee for a deposit.”

Dr Hewson said the current government had the highest level of spending since the turn of the century, but it will be reluctant to increase tax.

“They’ll say they’re claiming revenue by going hard on welfare cheats, but those schemes never work as well as they think,” he said.

“Whether or not they’ll make a surplus, we’ll see.”

In a press conference held May 9, treasurer Scott Morrison said while Australia had grown, he understood not all Australians had experienced the growth firsthand.

“Better days are ahead, we just need to secure them,” he said.

The 2017 Federal Budget will be announced May 9 at 7.30pm.

The Southern Highland News will report live during the budget announcement.