Australian federal budget, 2016–17

The 2016 Australian federal budget was the federal budget to fund government services and operations for the 2016–17 financial year. It was presented to the House of Representatives by Treasurer Scott Morrison on 3 May 2016. It is the third budget to be handed down by the Liberal/National Coalition since their election to government at the 2013 federal election, and the first to be handed down by Morrison and the Turnbull Government. Breaking from convention, the budget was submitted a week earlier than the traditional annual date of the second Tuesday in May, amidst a run-up to the 2016 federal election. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had recalled parliament early, in anticipation of a double dissolution triggering an election for 2 July 2016.

In September 2015, Member for Wentworth and former Minister for Communications under the Abbott Government, Malcolm Turnbull, challenged the incumbent Tony Abbott for the Prime Ministership and won office by a vote of the Liberal Party caucus. He challenged Abbott on a rationale of "economic leadership", criticizing his economic policies and claiming that he had "not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs [...] of providing the economic confidence that business needs." After ascending to the Prime Ministership, Turnbull appointed the former Minister for Social Services Scott Morrison as Treasurer, replacing Joe Hockey who resigned from politics shortly afterwards.