Running a national economy is not unlike running a household.Only so much money comes into the house, fixed payments must be made and it can be difficult keeping everyone happy.By and large, Wayne Swan last night achieved a good mix - delivering the ‘‘tough love’’ needed to keep the house in order. He hasn’t spent like before. He didn’t need to and didn’t have the money to do so. He didn’t squib on the hard decisions either.One of his key messages has been that there was ‘‘not a person to be wasted’’, ‘‘a postcode to be missed’’ as the Federal Government sought to distribute the benefits.He is dead right about our patchwork economy. The mining boom has brought enormous advantages to some communities, some companies and some individuals. But not everyone.It is not only noble but necessary for him, therefore, to spread the wealth. He sees it in the form of ‘‘jobs, jobs, jobs’’, which cannot be overstated in this part of Australia, characterised by high and generational unemployment.The Government has also realised, like any household, that restraint is needed - and hence $22 billion in cuts over three years will be felt by many Australians.Generally, the ‘‘Australian household’’ ought to feel confident about the future. We have a growing economy, a surplus beckons and the Reserve Bank might even keep interest rates on hold.That said, no household, however prosperous, is immune to grumbles. Here we oblige.As expected, the independents propping up this minority Labor government did well. Very well. Of course, those three seats are not the sum total of regional Australia. And once again we are left to bemoan the lack of support for key projects that would make a fundamental difference in the Illawarra.It’s a shame that of the few initiatives to specifically come our way, one involves a crackdown on those on welfare. It’s not the most encouraging of messages to a region that just wants its needs to be considered seriously and with equity. As should occur in any household.You might excuse us, then, for feeling like the black sheep of the family.