Another lie admitted, Mr Abbott now admits that the effects of the budget cuts on Hospitals will be felt in June/July instead of what he had stated before that it would be 2017 before they were felt ! Now either that was a blatant lie or this government is totally incompetent! which ever way you see it you must admit they have to go ! Q&A on ABC had Joe Hockey trying to convince people they all somehow are going to be better off after the budget is implemented than they were before, that includes students, families,unemployed,Disabled and the old age,He really believes his own spin, problem is what happens when reality does hit and these changes come through ? Liberal will be history for a very very long time !

Another sobering note, Abbott was claiming that if his policies were blocked it would put at risk our triple A rating, Not so says moody s apparently it would take a lot more than that according to them ! So what does that tell you ? The only conclusion you logically come to is that this whole financial crisis that we are in is nothing more than another lie perpetrated on Australian people by this Abbott Government ! When do the lies and deception stop and the truth begin ? This Government won an election on lies and they continue to lie to the Australian public over and over again, to me their win is null and void and for the sake of this country a double dissolution should be called,that way we can have an election based on real policies and not lies ! Being a swinging voter I am so so angry and so very very bitter !

The Coalition govt practiced "wholesale" deception upon the Australian electorate. That is really the beginning and end of the story.

To misrepresent their intentions on such a scale is unprecedented - and to reinforce the rancor, they are now lying about their lying.

While we may accept that politicians occasionally lie or change their minds, to have an entire election strategy resting on the bedrock of deceiving the electorate is beyond the pale.
The federal LNP has damaged its brand immeasurably by their actions - swinging voters who fell for Abbott's blarney will "never" trust him again.

The Coalition appears to seek to dismantle the social fabric of Australia, in the face of many prominent economists who repeatedly remind us that Australia's economy in the wake of the GFC is one of the envies of the world.

Their plan in first targeting those who can least afford the impost, together with their trickery buried deep in the budget and the double-crossing of the states, is almost a political obscenity given their pre-election reassurances.

‘morning Graham,

Options, carrots and sticks!

I’m increasingly seeing strategy from Abbott & Co. I think Abbott has the measure of things because he has known for a long time he cannot do much about popularity, as evidenced by the polling. The better the strategy the harder it is to detect!

If Abbott accepts he cannot be popular he won’t care because he has a different objective, he will try to earn respect which is totally immune from rhetoric.

Every element of his budget has options, carrots and sticks. I’ll cite just two .

The CSIRO will have a cut of about $110m.

But they have choices. They can continue to do lots of research on CAGW issues if they want.

The Carrot. If they chose to continue with CAGW research they will potentially miss out on the pool of medical research funding but they will no longer have the resources to do both.

The Stick. The government has the Australian Research Council (ARC) to approve research grants, so the likes of funding the “Ship of Fools” to the Antarctic will be off the table.

University funding. By shifting to a competitive model, Universities will face the prospect of competing on both costs and the type of product they produce, the degree subjects. To be able to offer the degree course and the post graduate follow up they will need ARC funding for that subject.

Their choices are to deliver courses that are competitive, cost effective, quality and valued. Because if they don’t, one of their competitors will. Or they might have to reduce the volume or the cost of say Teaching/Humanities degree’s.

The Carrot. If they shift focus to degree’s that are matched by ARC funding and compete they can thrive.

The Stick. If they want to depend on public funding to do what they want, they might have to carry say 50% of student funding until those students find work in Australia, otherwise they carry that cost of failure rather then the public.

Likewise the ABC and the States so far.

Popularity in the polls? Nah.

Good analysis Spindoc.

I wonder how many of our lefty organisations still think he's a dill, or if they are waking up to the fact that he runs rings around them when it comes to planning, & getting the desired result.

Unfortunately we are subject to that old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times". I'm afraid in the not too distant future many of us will be living in far too interesting times, & a damn sight more interesting than we would like.

"....when it comes to planning, & getting the desired result."

No, getting the "desired result" does not justify any means. Lying his tits off to get elected was something you (Hasbeen et al) applaud in Abbott while a carbon price tipped you into hypocritical and apoplectic rage.

Abbott has zero integrity. His lies and denial of lying are unforgivable and I worry for my country with such duplicitous scoundrels in charge. http://imgur.com/m4t8CZZ