Mr Abbott's education black hole
Labor HQ posted Thursday, 19 August 2010
One of Mr Abbott’s centrepiece policies – the Education Tax Refund – has blown a $377 million black hole in the Coalition’s budget.
With just one proposal, Tony Abbott has shown he lacks the judgement to run Australia’s $1.3 trillion economy.
Don’t take Federal Labor’s word for it though; this is the independent analysis from the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM), the same modeller who Tony Abbott recently called the “most reputable and authoritative modelling organisation in Australia”.
NATSEM has found this single Coalition policy would cost at least $1.14 billion, which is double the $760 million Mr Abbott has budgeted for.
In part, this problem stems from the Coalition’s refusal to submit their costings to the Departments of Treasury and Finance. If the Coalition had complied with the Charter of Budget Honesty, the Australian people would have known the real cost.
Through its refusal to participate in the independent Charter of Budget Honesty process, the Coalition clearly had something to hide.
This substantial black hole shows Mr Abbott’s lack of judgement poses a serious risk to the Budget and to the economy.
The clear message from such an elementary mistake is don’t risk your family’s future with Tony Abbott.
In contrast, Federal Labor has outlined real plans to make a difference for Australian families, through providing support for families with teenagers and trying to encourage more apprentices through support during their training.
Federal Labor’s policies are fully costed and we will bring the Budget back to surplus in 2013, three years early.
Please join the discussion below – do you think Mr Abbott should submit his policies for costing from the Departments of Finance and Treasury?
Tags: Abbott,
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