Budget blow forces more cuts - The Australian

Labor's vow to get the budget back to surplus has become more difficult, with the mid-year financial update to reveal fresh revenue write-downs.

Downgrade: More than $20 billion in budget savings will be announced today , but they won't be enough to guarantee a long-term return to surplus. Wayne Swan warned yesterday that the public should brace for "significant" savings in today's mid-year budget update, but said the government would attempt to minimise the negative impact on the economy.