Coalition should have been more honest over budget cuts says Reith

Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrives back in Sydney after his visit to India and Malaysia. Source: News Corp Australia

FORMER Howard government minister Peter Reith says the Coalition should have been more honest about its plans for budget cuts before the election, one year ago today.

Tony Abbott has returned from a brief trip to India and Malaysia to mark his anniversary in Sydney today, amid scores of assessments about his first year in office.

Mr Abbott’s former ministerial colleague Peter Reith offered his assessment on Sky News’ Australian Agenda today, saying Mr Abbott was likely to win the election but had suffered from mishandling of his first budget and the tough measures it included such as the Medicare co-payment.

“I think they should have been more upfront,” he said.

“Oppositions going into an election are terribly worried that if they tell the Australian public there (were) going to be cuts … obviously they’re worried that they’re not going to get in.

“Oppositions in the past have been more forthright.”

Independent senator Nick Xenophon echoed Mr Reith’s view, accusing the government of “sneaking up on people with quite radical changes” over the past 12 months.

“The government promised no surprises,” Senator Xenophon told the ABC.

“I think some Australians feel more tasered than surprised by some of the changes.”

Senator Xenophon singled out deregulation of university fees, a $7 GP co-payment and welfare cuts.

He criticised the way the Abbott government went about the planned reforms, highlighting a lack of consultation and a less cautious approach than that adopted by the former Howard government.

“I think a lot of Howard battlers are feeling quite betrayed at the way the government has gone about things,” he said.

source:theaustralian.com.au