Given that neither party trusts the other's costing, and with due regard to the partisan nature of treasury's past actions under Wayne Swan, I would suggest an independent 3rd party.

Possibly one of the big 4 firms such as Deloites, PWC etc, could be used.

[Deleted for abuse].

I've had enough of these independent dudes already. They're too big for their boots. I hail Tony for telling them to piss off.

I think

Julia is being way too needy in all this.

Let her win, and see how she handles her minority governmnet. Let her have the poisoned chalice.

Lets see how those independents in seats with 10% Labor votes handle the backlash come next election

Tony's costings probably don't add up, but who cares. Nobody expects a politician to keep their promises. It's irrelevant. Oppositions since the year dot have never had the opportunity to make costed promises as they don't have access to the books.

We need the AEC to start having a bit of power to legislate standards for elections. Each party has to scribble their costings on the back of a beer coaster and hand it in by the end of week 1, and there is a mandated 5 community forums each election at set dates. No political advertising allowed unless it's actually explaining a policy and doesn't mention any other party.

If the independents are to stupid to know that Labour has never produced a surplus and have squandered a massive inherited surplus in less than a term then they don't deserve Abbots time. To try and compare Labours economic management against the Howard Government shows they are playing games. Houellebecq is right on this one.

And what happens to treasury when the Tony gets into power.

If they cant be trusted now how could he possibly work with them in government.

Not to mention the hypocrisy of Abbott and his colleagues after the supermole Godwin Grech and his relationship with the tories.

I (and I suspect Labor) dont trust that one of the big accounting companies would anything but shills for the conservatives.

Do the right thing Mr Abbott and let the treasury cast its eye over your figures.

The only reason he wont is because he knows he would be exposed as economically illiterate and his parties figures exposed as fabrications.

Wow SM i agree again, a third party would be workable though the main problem that Mr Abbott has is with the process of delivery of their policies to the Treasury.
The Act involved which currently slips my mind, requires the opposition to deliver the policies to the PM's office for handing over to Treasury. The lib's made great play of this for years of course but under the current circumstances maybe this protocol could be waived and the policies could be handed directly to the treasury. As for the whole leak issue well, that could just as easily been a liberal leak so they could whip up a storm and refuse to have the treasury do the costings. I don't have the faith in Joe Hockey that i had in Peter Costello, just because they are the same party it dosen't make their word good.
It doesn't look that good for Toni being so difficult, this is a unique situation and it would appear that he has the best situation to form government if he would just bend a little. It would be a great pity if the next government was formed because one side was just being difficult. This is the independents main thrust, openness, honesty and reform to the process.