It usually starts with a tree.
When the red maple in the Senate courtyard starts showing signs of living up to its name, journalists at Parliament House are compelled to let Australia know the “budget tree” has spoken: the budget is coming (usually on the second Tuesday in May).
The leaves changing colour usually coincides with the Department of Treasury informing the media of the budget lock-up arrangements, so Canberra news bureaux and their mastheads decide who is attending the lock-up. Numbers are limited, so usually just those who are absolutely necessary will take part in the budget lock-up, which is the journalistic equivalent of an open book exam.
But what happens in the media lock-up? What is it beyond a buzzword thrown around by journalists on panel shows?
Are you actually locked up?
Yes. You can go to the bathroom but from 1.30pm until the treasurer gets to their feet on the floor of the parliament (about 7.30pm), you remain “locked up” under the eye of a Treasury minder.
At the beginning you sign a form declaring you will not use any internet device, or communicate any of the details of the budget papers. You hand your phone to the Treasury official assigned to mind you, receive your budget papers (or USBs) and get to work.
Before Covid, journalists trudged down to committee rooms in the parliament and were locked up with other media outlets. Now we are locked up in our own offices, which makes some things easier (for one, you don’t have to lug all your equipment down).
There are also off-site lock-ups where Sydney staff go through much the same process. Only staff who are registered can attend and a Treasury official is assigned to make sure no one sneaks in or out.
Why are you locked up?
Once upon a time it was because the information in the budget books could affect markets. The treasurer doesn’t speak until after the Australian stock market is closed for the day, which is when all the information can go live. But these days it isn’t so much about protecting the markets (many market analysts can make educated guesses) and more about containing the coverage.
Budget coverage isn’t exactly the most exciting of news, but by keeping it contained to one special day governments can still generate some anticipation and excitement.
So, no internet for real?
For real, fam. Media organisations have to send in IT staff to disable internet in their offices, while setting up approved intranet connections so stories can be shared internally for editing and production before the embargo lifts. It’s a huge job. There is usually an IT staff member in the lock-up with you troubleshooting any issues and working with the Treasury minder to reassure them the rules aren’t being broken.
The no-internet thing is serious. The only reason you may be allowed a phone is if a social media video is part of your coverage and Treasury approve its use in advance. The sim card has to be removed and you’ll be watched while you record. Nothing says “no pressure” like having a Treasury official watching you perform for the camera.
How do you prepare?
In the lock-up, it can be like an open book exam. You have the budget papers, but a smart journalist will also take in budget books from previous years to work out where funding may have changed. You need to prepare for your round by taking in previous years’ stories, or what has been previously said and beyond that you rely on your team to remind you what the government previously committed. It’s six or so hours with no Google. If you’re lucky, your IT guru will have set up previous budget stories in an accessible drive, but a lot of it is about knowing your stuff.
What about the things you don’t know?
The budget books are pretty much just numbers. And sometimes they don’t marry up.
That is where the Treasury officials come in. They are deployed to Parliament House to answer journalists’ questions about the budget. You head to a desk and tell staff what portfolio or area your question relates to and you are directed to the best boffin to answer it. It’s a way to clear up confusion and to make sure you have the numbers right. But they don’t just point out the story. You have to know the right question to ask to get the answer you need.
What’s the treasurer doing?
Walking around, usually. After you’ve had the budget books for a few hours, an all-in press conference is called where you can ask the treasurer your burning questions. The treasurer also walks the lock-up and spends time with each media outlet for a brief off-the-record chat. That’s where you can ask things you may not want the rest of the media to know about (if you think you have found a line others haven’t) or you want to know the justification behind a policy or measure – asking in a slightly less formal setting usually gets you a better steer.
What’s it like?
Stressful. But a fairly organised stress. There is pressure to find the information the government may not want you to know and to tell the actual story of the budget, not just the version in the press release or the treasurer’s speech. But each reporter knows what their job is before stepping into that room.
Who pays for the food?
We get this question all the time. Each media organisation is responsible for paying and organising its own food. Before Covid, when it was an all-in, there were tables in the hallways outside the committee rooms and you could see what each organisation got (News Corp always seemed to have the best lollies). The Department of Parliamentary Services offers catering to make it easier, but the media organisation pays.
What happens at the end?
Controlled chaos. We try to make sure we are ready to go by about 6.30pm, so that the last hour can be spent triple checking figures or lines and making sure we have all met our briefs.
At Guardian Australia we aim to have about a dozen different stories, as well as graphs, data journalism, videos and social media content. We also record a podcast inside the lock-up, so there is a bit to check off. We all then turn to the television and wait for the treasurer to get to their feet. We hit “go live” on the stories before the treasurer finishes saying “good evening ladies and gentlemen” and then get to work on the reactions.
There is a conga line of stakeholders who literally line up to speak at what we call the boxes – old letter boxes the gallery uses. Each steps up to the microphone to give their brief reaction to the budget. We usually have two reporters on the reaction beat – one runs the comments back to their bureau and the other takes their place. This can go for hours.
The treasurer walks off the floor of parliament and into the ABC studios for an interview with 7.30. We keep filing news until there is no more to file and then close up shop around 11pm. The next morning, the prime minister and treasurer carve up the media interviews and head out to the parliament lawns, where TV news channels have their breakfast presenters set up.
Then what?
The treasurer attends a range of post-budget breakfasts and gives a speech at the National Press Club on the Wednesday. The government begins the sell almost immediately and the parliament starts looking at whether it will pass the measures. And on the Thursday, the opposition leader delivers the budget in reply speech, which is where the opposition lays out everything it disagrees with and offers up their own ideas.
And then budget week is over. It’s a little bit of theatre and a lot of politics, but don’t let that fool you. What’s in those books matters as it dictates where your tax dollars will go for the next year. It’s an old political truism that a good budget is one people don’t talk about.
