摘要：Public policy makers in Australia face an economic and political environment with actual and potential conflicts that make policy formulation difficult. For example, there is a strong commitment on both sides of Parliament to surplus, or at least, balanced budgets. At the same time policy makers in the major parties appear to believe that the median voters in the marginal electorates are opposed to higher income taxes. These factors are coupled with wider community concern about the level of provision of government services in key areas such as education, hospitals and transport. As a consequence governments are in a policy dilemma: they are constantly under pressure to improve the provision of public services, while there are also strong expectations that they will manage the macro economy in such a way as to show budgetary restraint without raising taxes. In effect, they are being asked to provide more services without raising more revenue
