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October 8, 2020

Federal Budget 2020: Notes from Canberra

Dubbed as the most significant Federal Budget in our lifetime, this year’s big spending budget is focused on Australia’s recovery from the first recession in nearly 30 years.

The Isentia team in Canberra was part of the Press Gallery Budget lock up and attended the Budget lock up press conference given by Treasurer The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP and Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon. Mathias Cormann.

“Isentia was the first to deliver confirmed budget news to its clients. Being in the lock-up enabled the Isentia team to notify clients how the Federal Budget impacted them even before the second reading of the Budget in Parliament,” said Isentia’s Head of Government Business, Kylie Dunstan. “This is a key point of difference for Isentia. We worked closely with our clients in the weeks leading into the budget to understand the issues important to them so we were in the unique position to provide tailored updates to clients as soon as the Budget embargo was lifted. 

“Our team was also part of the post-budget interview line, capturing industry group and stakeholder commentary. “This proactive alerting enabled our clients to understand critical issues and impacts – even before they were reported in mainstream media. “The Federal Budget generates the most media coverage of any day of the year, so it’s critical to our clients that we provide them what they need as quickly as possible,” Ms Dunstan said.

Isentia Canberra Team
The Isentia team based in Canberra
National Press Club
Left image: Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s post budget National Press Club address on 7 October 2020. 
Right image: Isentia’s Emma Harris in the interview line capturing post-Budget stakeholder commentary. 

The lead up to the budget announcement

In the week leading up to the budget announcement, more than 16,500 stories across Print, Broadcast, Social Media and Online addressed the Federal Budget. The large volume of coverage represents the magnitude of the story and the impact it has on the national news landscape.

Federal Budget media coverage over time
Includes Print, Online, Social and Broadcast 

On budget day,  more than 6,500 stories covered the announcement. Of those, 3,400 also mentioned COVID-19. The magnitude of this year’s announcement can also be measured by the increase in national print coverage across the key publications. 

Average number of articles on key Australian Newspapers
Average number of articles published on key Australian newspapers from September 9 to October 5, compared to the total number of articles published on the budget announcement day

On October 6 alone, the main Australian newspapers published 25% more articles than the average between September 9 to October 5, 2020. Not only there were more articles on a single day but those articles were also more relevant to our clients. On October 6, our platform recorded a 38.72% increase in article match rate to our clients requirement compared to the average match rates over the time period between September 9 and October 5.

Federal budget conversations
Conversation topics discussing the Federal Budget 2020 from the announcement until October 8

At Isentia, we are on a mission to help clients make great decisions with our suite of media intelligence tools and local support. For more insights into the Federal Budget conversations, get in touch today.

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Australia has been a hot destination in higher education for international students, but with recent policy changes and growing anxiety around housing, the student journey has seen a shift, impacting intake into the top Australian universities and making the process a bit unpredictable.

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In this report we analyse over 3k posts across social and online media to unpack:

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Reflecting on the media reporting from 2025 provides institutions with the tools to craft communication strategies that address both the domestic demand for accountability and the international student's need for security and value.

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Analysing Australia’s higher education landscape in 2025

A deep dive into how global audiences perceive Australian higher education and the university sector with a spotlight on the SEA region.

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Announcing Lumina: The purpose-built AI suite for PR, Comms, and Public Affairs

An intelligent suite of AI tools trained on the language, workflows, and realities of modern public relations and communications.

Ready to get started?

Get in touch or request a demo.

Contact us Request a demo