Why economists hate the $300 energy rebate

The task of successfully landing a budget in a weak economy, in which you are also trying to wrestle inflation down, is not easy economically. And it is even harder if you bring politics into it.

Much of the headline economic and political success of Jim Chalmers’ third budget rests on just one measure: a decision a lot of economists will hate and which gives every household a $300 rebate on their energy bills.