PRIME Minister Tony Abbott’s own words are nagging him as he prepares for ruthless pruning in his first Budget.
The night before the election last September he pledged: “No cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS.”
Those promises are cramping his fiscal style as the May 13 Budget nears, but they are not the only Abbott-isms the Prime Minister might regret using:
“Compulsory paid maternity leave? Over this Government’s dead body, frankly.” (2002).
Mr Abbott has not only accepted the principle of maternity leave since — he wants to introduce the most expensive option Australia has seen, increasing taxes to pay for it while campaigning as a tax scrapping government.
“The science of climate change is absolute crap.” (2009)
Whatever his views on climate change, as Prime Minister he is asking Australians to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Direct Action, which in part would pay companies to cut carbon emissions.
“I won’t be doing deals with independents and minor parties.” (August, 2013)
Read the rest, news.com.au, here, where you can also see the PM making the promises …
