opinion

"I need practical, fast solutions for my life - so I won't be watching the Budget tonight."

You might think that as a journalist, I will be keenly monitoring the Budget tonight. You’d be mistaken.

Like millions of women around Australia, I will be juggling the long commute back to my suburban house where the daily battle of bed and bath time awaits, a daily re-enactment of the War of the Roses. My babysitter will be coming over, and I will be heading into the night with my heels on… but it won’t be to a Budget party.

"You would be sadly mistaken if you thought I would be watching the budget."

"The state of the economy matters!" you say. Yes I'm sure it does...to someone. But like millions of women around Australia, I am time-poor, sleep-deprived and a brutally practical person. I ain't got no time for that, and this is why:

1. We kind of already know what's going to be (not) in it. The issues that matter to me: childcare reform, education, housing affordability, Indigenous health, refugee policy: nothing I've read so far has given me the sense that the government is going to make any drastic changes.

2. It's confusing. I find the Game of Thrones plot line easier to follow than the Paid Parental Leave scheme. Is it getting rolled back, implemented, abolished? Who knows. Education? I want to give a Gonski but can't . Someone just tell me whether my kid will be able to attend the overcrowded local primary school in 2 years. Negative gearing >> investors >> housing affordability. The only thing I've ever invested in is a good pair of shoes.

Watch Carrie Bickmore tackle paid parental leave on The Project. (Post continues after video.)

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Video via The Project

3. Policy takes AGES to implement. Even if I was wrong and they do make a drastic announcement (see point 1) what gets announced today might not resemble what gets enacted in say, 6 months time. Why sweat it now?

4. Announcements, like promises can be unwound. Remember the mining tax? That consultation process took months and months and probably cost millions. Where is it today? In the dustbin, like my hopes and expectations.

5. The political back-and-forth is DRAINING. It's worse than watching my two kids fight over a chewed-up straw, and I do that every day.

6. I cannot watch another old white man take the podium and tell me what he's got in store for my financial future.

watching the budget
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"I can't watch another old white man tell me about my financial future." Image via Getty.

I need practical, fast solutions for my life, and the government isn't doing it for me.

Instead of being glued to the TV trying to figure out what the heck Scott Morrison is saying, I will be attending an event for entrepreneurial women. The fabulously named "Like Minded Bitches Drinking Wine" Facebook group is hosting an information evening for early-stage entrepreneurs. Smart women will be sharing smart ideas about business, finance and creativity in a supportive environment.

I imagine there will be copious amounts of wine consumed. I anticipate that we will be talking about real institutional challenges, how to get VC funding, the destructive effects of unconscious bias and practical tips about getting a business off the ground. Yes, it's a far cry from the "halls of power" in Canberra, but a whole lot closer to my heart.