For full coverage of the budget's implications and industry reaction for sectors including education, employment, the environment, family and community services, infrastructure, housing, health & ageing, taxation and superannuation, visit our special Federal Budget microsite: www.lexisnexis.com.au/federal-budget

May 11: No win for legal aid in budget

Law groups have expressed disappointment in this week's Federal Budget, noting a significant gap in access to justice initiatives despite the more than $10 million in savings from various assistance schemes. [read full article]

May 10: Federal Budget 2011: NBN key to regional justice

Legal aid and community legal centres will be asked to develop online initiatives to improve access to justice for regional areas under measures announced in the 2011-12 Federal Budget. [read full article]

May 10: Federal Budget 2011: High Court funded as ICC takes hit

Australia's contribution to the International Criminal Court has been dealt a blow via Treasurer Wayne Swan's Fourth Federal Budget, while the High Court will see an additional $6.1 million worth of funding over the next four years. [read full article]

May 10: Federal Budget 2011: Funding boost for human rights

Human rights are on the Gillard Government's agenda in the 2011-12 Federal Budget, with additional funding provided to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). [read full article]

May 10: Federal Budget 2011: Surplus still on track in tough budget

Treasurer Wayne Swan has uncovered $22 billion worth of savings in a "tough" budget that aims to extend the opportunity of the mining boom to all Australians. [read full article]

For our video wrap up, watch our video summary of the key announcements:

And keep up to date with the pre-budget leaks:

May 10: Budget deficit blow out predicted

Natural disasters are tipped to blow out Australia's budget deficit to more than $50 billion. Speculation is mounting that the deficit is expected to increase from $41 billion to $51 billion due to national disaster relief spending in the wake of the Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi, and a less-than-expected windfall from corporate tax receipts. [Read full article]

May 5: Budget must bail out family law

Parties to family law disputes will be unable to access legal representation unless the Federal Budget delivers a boost to legal aid funding, says the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV). [Read full article]

May 4: Budget lets down Victorian Courts and Legal Aid: Law Institute

Additional police coupled with a paucity of additional funding for Victoria's court system will lead to further strain on court and legal aid resources, according to the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV). [Read full article]

April 13: Sky News reports the Productivity Places Program is going to be diverted to be a more flexible scheme as the government tries to establish the skills training agenda.

April 3: Treasurer Wayne Swan highlights the importance of workplace incentives in the Treasurer's Economic Note

"As the Prime Minister said last week, there'll need to be some tough decisions in the Budget as we stick to our strict fiscal rules... Finding more workers is one of the many challenges we face in the years ahead and in putting together next month's Budget. It's really important that we have the right incentives in place to reward and encourage participation in the workforce to ensure our economy - already stretched by the mining boom and now the reconstruction effort in Queensland - can get the people it needs."

To read the full text of the Treasurer's Economic Note, click here.

April 1: Senator Penny Wong, Finance Minister, statement on the likelihood of a shift towards a budget surplus during an Interview on ABC news 24 with Lyndal Curtis:

“very strong economic reasons to bring the budget back to surplus”

April 2: Treasurer Wayne Swan discusses the the release of a carbon price policy during a doorstop interview in Brisbane:

JOURNALIST:So the carbon price details – will that come on Budget day or...

TREASURER SWAN:No, it will be coming after the Budget. We’ve made that very clear from day one. What we have said is that we will consult widely. We are consulting with the business community. The business community needs certainty to invest. We need investment in future power generation. We need investment to drive renewable energy. We’ve just been over there looking at the solar panels on the boat. We need to, as a country, ensure there is investment in renewable energy so we can deal with dangerous climate change. That's what an emissions trading scheme is all about. It’s a responsible move to reduce pollution in our atmosphere so we can secure the future of our environment and our economy.