Migration policy, the looming budget and the NRF.

With the federal budget less than two weeks away, surging inflation and a war-driven energy shock are forcing the government to rewrite its budget narrative in real time.Meanwhile, Senator Tim Ayres backs ‘balanced’ immigration, defends the National Reconstruction Fund and targets hyperscalers for more AI dealsWe discuss:CPI at 4.6% and what it means for the budgetWhy "resilience" is Labor's new budget buzzwordThe blame the government may be subjected to if high fuel prices continueCapital gains tax reform and the housing affordability debateWhy no one in Canberra wants to talk about the skills shortageThe migration debate and One Nation's anti-growth agendaThe National Reconstruction FundTim Ayres’ comments to Capital Brief on hyperscalers and AI infrastructure On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power.Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live.Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEDT: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/