Like the government, Tony Abbott appears to have decided to get in early and preview the contents of his budget speech, though in his case, it appears it’ll be substance free and just a rhetorical rant:
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is expected to outline a broad vision for Australia rather than go into specific detail about savings measures when he delivers his budget reply speech to Parliament tonight.
I don’t know if the press gallery have set any ‘tests’ for Abbott, though it’ll be interesting if he’s allowed to get away with claims that the Coalition would “return us to surplus quicker” without any attempt to justify them.
NB: Previous LP discussion of the 2011 federal budget can be found here.
I think it is quite reasonable to expect Abbott to nominate several cuts – without having to cost them in detail.
If as I expect he says they will get the budget back into surplus sooner, but not say how – then how can be be believed?
If Alison Carrabine is any indication of Press Gallery groupthink there will be no test for Abbott, as she declared this morning that it was not reasonable to expect any detail from him this far out from an election.
Free pass again. After all, he’s only the alternative PM.
Would that be the same election that Joe Hockey is trying to force?
Apparently will be “light on detail”. Whats the frigging point of it then Tones?
He and Hockey genuinely are clueless lightweights on economic issues. The ALP should get on the front foot more. I like the tactic of demanding Phoney list his cuts. More of that.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/12/3214400.htm
“This is a Pri-Minista that should be at the sink washing the dishes!”
After the embarrassment of last years right of reply you would think the press would be on to them. The circular finger pointing from Tone to Hockey to Robb about who would provide detail, did have comic relief but surely they have learnt. Then again maybe not, given their performance under their “charter of budget honesty”
Tony has demonstrated time and again that he does not care about detail and economics bores him rigid. That is fine and I confess I may have some sympathy for him in this view. But I do not put myself forward as the alternate PM. If he cant be bothered with these things go and find another job.
Trying to hide away from scrutiny by claiming they are the responsible economic managers so don’t have to answer questions is a bit tiring. Any analysis of the economic management over the last thirty years does not give them this high ground. Just wish the press would not be put off with the “Trust us we know what where doing” line.
@3 – That link was in the post, Lefty E!
Sorry should be: we’re.
Hockey bangs on about sacking 12,000 public servants.
So far, I have heard not a single interviewer ask an Opposition spokesperson which departments have been targeted, and at what level.
Indeed, Katz.
The way the press gallery operates at the moment is rapidly moving from incompetence to conspiracy.
Stop being so hypocritical… oppositions never provide the sort of detail you’re calling for. Never have and never will. Show me an example of an ALP shadow treasurer providing detailed costings in a budget reply speech.
What would be really amusing would be to see the Greens try to put together a credible budget package to fund all their wacky ideas. Actually – that would probably be a good thing…. it would expose them to proper scrutiny rather than let Brown get away with his hoobigaloobi claptrap.
Andrew – you can thank the Greens, and Independents, for forcing the government to create a Parliamentary Budget Office, which hopefully will contribute to better budget making.
Andrew: The problem is that Hockey has said they will bring the budget back to surplus earlier, with no credible explanation. We deserve better from an alternate government than, we’ll figure it out later if we win.
As for oppositions not supplying detail in the right of reply. I don’t think any rational person expects the detail a government needs to provide. However, they should reveal areas where they will be cutting or spending, with indicative amounts. If they are out by a bit we wont quibble but if they are out by orders of magnitude they can be criticised.
The circus around the election costings though gives a strong impression they don’t give a fig. The overriding impression is that the plan is: say and do anything to undermine the government and create fear in the electorate. Then slide into government and we will get public service to give us a plan. Sacking 12000 is probably not a good start to this plan though.
Andrew, this transcript from the 7.30 Report in May 2006 shows that you are wrong: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1636592.htm.
Maybe you can also figure out the fact that the opposition in those days didn’t simply indiscriminately oppose everything, and therefore there was actually less onus on them to provide alternatives.
Further, if you really think about it you might see how the manufactured air of crisis generated by the media was then directed at the opposition. Funny about that.
Andrew @11,
You may recall Mr. Abbott’s min. $7bn black hole the last time he put up an alternative budget costing along with all the hide and seek he played to try and swing that past YOU and the rest of the electorate as you have said without proper scrutiny
I agree the whole episode was amusing in a sickeningly sordid sort of way and, as you imply, this disqualifies Mr. Abbott from public office.
What’s that ? Critique of Mr Abbott’s estimate were based on wholly subjective opinions of Treasury ? Yes, well, then all estimates are equal aren’t they ? Here’s anticipating Rob Oakeshotte’s $38 Trillion surplus in his Budget-In-Reply.
I suspect Gillard/Swann will refresh your memory on these events shortly.
@14 – so, when is Beazley going to put his policies in place?
Interestingly Giles the investigation of the auditing firm that waved thought the $11bn coalition budget furphy is still not complete, all those months later.
http://www.petermartin.com.au/2011/05/coalitions-auditors-still-under.html
It’ll be something along the lines of:
Stop the boats, ya, ya, ya.
I’m going to watch DVDs of Alice in Wonderland – Johnny Depp versuion, Grand Totino and Animal Kingdom. Anything to avoid the Abbott charade. With a pause to watch what looks like a really interesting doco. on Aboriginal history. One wonders if that piece of programming is a hopeful hook by the ABc to con leftries into tuning into the Abbott farce.
Paul Burns
Be careful , that Grand Torino has a lot of racist jokes in it.
You may giggle at one and have to apologise to Mercurious.
As for the budget reply.
It’s a waste of time.
Seems that labour is marginally worse in govt than the coalition is in opposition
In fact Grand Torino is a fabulous repudiation by Eastwood of racism especially as experienced in US working class culture. Happy watching PB.
I read your comment at Catallaxy where you linked to a scene from Gran Torino. You appeared to enjoy the movie because it was racist. Why don’t you surpise us all and tell us you’re not racist.
Silkworm
I enjoyed the movie, because it was a good movie.
I laughed at the jokes because they were funny.
So did all my “non-white” friends.
I am not a racist.
YOU are off topic again, what has this to do with Tony Abbots budget reply?
Indeed, what has this to do with Tony Abbott’s budget reply?
@24 delivers yet more unintentional comedy!
If you have to say you’re not a racist…
Who’s “Mercurious”?
At any rate, I’m pretty sure Mercurius would like to wait for the Budget reply to actually happen before Mercurius has anything to say about the budget reply.
But then again, Mercurius is hopeful that one of the digital channels might deliver a “Zoo” special in the same timeslot.
OTOH, if The Leader Of The Loyal Opposition can deliver the budget reply in iambic pentameter, limerick verse or transcribed into Chaucerian Middle English, I might tune in…
Our sides’ hyprocrisy (deliberate use of the plural apostrophe there) is currently mostly process oriented now that the carbon tax is on the way. However, your side’s hyprocrisy is becoming a deep ideological divide about whether it should be opposed to stuff like middle class welfare, or whether it should sacrifice the neoliberal ideal because its leader wants to find other ammo to use when Standing Athwart History Shouting Stop.
I don’t know, I have this sinking feeling that Abbott will get points for this speech, even before he speaks his cheer squad are out chanting for him.
After all the good Labor has done there is no letting up, not matter what, they want the Lib’s in office. One question I want to know is why do the Liberal party have such a big voice in the blogs, online and in the news? Why does it look like the Labor party are the underdogs all the time?
I think it’s a good night to watch Dead Man again.
Abbott’s looking after the miners as usual!
That this Labor party insist upon giving this nasty neanderthal free kicks is beyond my comprehension. They seem to be unable to devise a policy that is beyond criticism and tonight we have this utter grub using all their fuck-ups to bludgeon them without having to offer anything remotely connected to policy.
A budget reply to incite an election, not a budget reply to offer any inkling whatsoever as to what the “alternative” whatever would do.
An election speech no less. but we will all watch the predictable media bullshit, just now starting with the chief tosser from the ABC who has reminded us that he has family,he knows family,he protects the “families” that Labor has abandoned.
Wanker politics writ large from a grubby pseudo christian.
Abbott’s speech had nothing to do with the budget it was his usual rant, why does this man get away with the lies and crap that he spews?
Jan
Which lies?
I suspect people will tire of Abbott’s non-stop electioneering. The only substantive measures he promised were yet more bastardisation of the the unemployed – income management for all long-term unemployed and no benefits where there are unskilled vacancies in an undefined ‘region’. Charming stuff – and negligible actual savings, since income management is expensive as well as humiliating. The rhetoric about being a better representative of workers than Gillard was amusing for any able to remember his role in developing and promoting WorkChoices. In all, a woeful performance that will get 5-star reviews in all media tomorrow. Meanwhile Swan looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Where is a Paul Keating to point out this pipsqueak prince’s lack of clothing?
Electioneering is what that was, Hal9000 – very little to do with the *actual budget*.
Since one of the main elements of the “vision for Australia” was the proposition that everything was so much better, nay, heavenly, under the Howard government, one wonders why they don’t do a Campbell Newman and announce that their Leader Outside Parliament is now John Winston Himself. He could run for, I don’t know, New England?
Like they used to say about Nixon, “rested and ready”…
I can understand why M. Turnbull and K. Rudd looked stony-faced throughout.
But why did the PM look so grim? Has she had advance warning of poor post-Budget opinion polls?
Actually, one interesting omission from Abbott’s speech was the meme (run in all newspapers) about how people on above median incomes are doing it tough. I suspect he realises he’s vulnerable to the old Keating line about the battlers paying taxes to support the lifestyles of the well-heeled.
Could be, Ambi, or could be since Abbott has tried to switch the topic away from where she’d like it to be, they’re puzzling about how to react politically…
New post time!
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2011/05/12/back-to-the-future-tony-abbotts-budget-reply/