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said the sorcerer to the apprentice .....

said the sorcerer to the apprentice .....

Labor fudging election figures: Minchin 

The federal Coalition says its tally of Labor's election promises proves the Opposition is no more economically conservative than the Government. 

Labor leader Kevin Rudd is promoting his pledges from yesterday's ALP campaign launch as putting less pressure on interest rates than the Coalition's spending. 

Finance Minister Nick Minchin says that is deceptive and Mr Rudd is treating Australian voters like fools. 

'The Labor Party to date has promised to spend some $12 billion over the next four years in additional government spending,' he said.

"Reaching the bottom of the pork barrel"

Reaching the bottom of the pork barrel

Jonathan Pearlman, Stephanie Peatling and Mark Davis
November 16, 2007

THE Coalition used a controversial grants program to make a flurry of election-eve handouts and has funnelled millions of dollars into projects in marginal seats against departmental advice, an audit has found.

A scathing report on the Regional Partnerships Program by the Australian National Audit Office outlines a litany of grants made without proper paperwork or explanation, including many that were fast-tracked just before the last election. It found:

■ The 10 electorates that received the most funding were all held by the Coalition.

■ 55 per cent of 2004 election commitments went to marginal electorates.

■ Of 43 projects that were approved despite the department not recommending to proceed, 38 were in Coalition seats.

■ In a 51-minute spending spree in the hours before the government went into caretaker mode in 2004, the parliamentary secretary responsible for the program, De-Anne Kelly, approved 16 grants worth $3.349 million.

A long-serving official in the auditor's office told the Herald yesterday: "This is the worst thing I have ever seen."