Budget traps for new players

Was it naiveté or just lack of experience that has tied up the Rudd government before its first budget?

It seems we are to keep the baby bonus unchanged too. The government has been forced into the denial trap before the budget by the carers and seniors bonuses fiasco. Testing the water opens up a can of worms and other mixed metaphors. Every interest group and every journo will get on the denial wagon. Ministers could spend all their time ruling out changes. There may be nothing, or other clichés, left on the table for the Treasurer to play with. Except for a few pig troughs still brimming from the Howard government.

Speaking of pre-election funding, I wonder what has happened to the $1,500,000 promised to Notre Dame University's Broome Campus for sports and recreation facilities. Given the inflationary pressures on the local building industry it would have to be "in" question. There were some local rumblings at the time of the announcement. There are similar facilities in need of support and the commercial gym's viability was under threat of permanent closure.

At a national level, we shouldn't rule out a cutback in infrastructure funding which is not targeted at productivity related projects. Might have to plug the pork barrel for a year or two. Being a current Broome resident, I won't tell my new Facebook friend Lindsay razor Tanner.

P.S. Two acute accents in one post is a new record for LaborView. Not to mention two pig allusions.

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