However, when John Howard began to promise money like a drunken sailor ahead of the 24 November 2007 federal election, I suspected that he might also be attempting to reduce government coffers just in case the Coalition was voted out of office. So I was rather glad to see the following.
"Federal Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner says the Howard Government's pre-election promises will be the first to be cut under moves to slash Government spending.
Bureaucrats have been asked to start identifying the former government's commitments in a bid to cut billions of dollars in spending ahead of the May budget.Mr Tanner has told Sky News he would prefer not to disrupt contracts that are already under way.
"In many cases, decisions that were made just prior to the election campaign have not been implemented," he said.
"They have not actually been actioned. Contracts haven't been signed, money hasn't gone out the door.
"That does mean that it's in some respects less difficult to focus on those kind of commitments than those things that are already the subject of existing contracts."
Mr Tanner says spending cuts are needed to put downward pressure on interest rates.
"We are in a tough environment. Inflation is getting beyond the 3 per cent level, that is the outer limit of the Reserve Bank zone," he said."
ABC News report:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/07/2133067.htm?section=australia
Good move, Minister Tanner. Time to cull the former Howard Government's attempt at pork barrelling and rein in an unwieldy and fiscally inefficient bureaucracy.
Your own party's election promises are going to be hard enough to fund as it is, in light of sustained inflationary pressures .
The Australian article today:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23015322-5013871,00.html
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