This is John Howard being tricky again. The Opposition plans to keep that kind of talk going right through to the election and will lay it on thick next week, hoping people will view Peter Costello's sixth Budget through the mean and tricky prism. Graham Morris, former chief of staff to John Howard doesn't think it will work. Budgets are quite unusual. It's the one time where kind of political slogans don't matter.
People look for themselves.
And the Government thinks it has those criticisms covered anyway. After all, it's promoting next week's economic blueprint as the Welfare Budget. We recognise the welfare system needs repair. The only way to save money in the future is to spend money now. And we'll be doing that.