Promise Tracker: The Abbott Government's broken election promises jump from 8 to 12

Updated

Promise Tracker ABC Fact Check is tracking almost 80 major pre-election promises made by the Coalition.

The number of election commitments broken by the Abbott Government has jumped from eight to 12.

Since launching our election Promise Tracker in July, we've had requests from the audience - and the Prime Minister's office - to examine more of the Coalition's pre-election commitments.

We've added a dozen of the most popular requests into the mix, including Tony Abbott's pledge to spend a week a year in an Indigenous community, the promise to send a Customs vessel to the Southern Ocean to monitor whaling, and the commitment to ensure the continuation of existing university funding arrangements.

Of the additions, one is delivered - the decision on Sydney's second airport at Badgerys Creek; four are broken; two are stalled; and five are in progress.

But overall the Abbott Government is still delivering more than it's breaking.

Here's how the new promises change the tally: of the 78 promises now being tracked, 15 are delivered, 12 are broken, four are stalled and 47 are in progress.

Head to the Promise Tracker for the full picture and if you're not already familiar with it, watch this video for a quick demo on how to use it.

Here's an overview of the new promises and their statuses:

Delivered

In April 2014, Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed the Government would help fund a second airport for Sydney at Badgerys Creek, fulfilling its pre-election promise to announce a site for the airport and ending decades of debate.

Broken

Tony Abbott repeatedly promised to spend a week a year in an Indigenous community. In his first year in Government, he spent four days in Arnhem Land, breaking his promise.

The Coalition said it was committed to sending an Australian Customs vessel to act as a "cop on the beat", after confrontations between anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd and Japanese whalers in 2013.

This year's whaling season ended in March, with a plane - but not a vessel - being sent to monitor whaling in the Southern Ocean.

The Coalition vowed to publish a cost-benefit analysis before funding any infrastructure project over $100 million. It broke that promise, by paying $1 billion to Victoria for the second stage of the East West Link before any analysis was released.

Tony Abbott repeatedly promised he wouldn't "move the goalposts" on superannuation and would make sure there were no more negative, unexpected changes to the system.

He broke that promise when increases to the superannuation guarantee were delayed until July 2021.

Stalled

The Coalition's Real Solutions booklet released in January 2013 promised a continuation of the "current arrangements" for university funding.

But in its first budget in May this year, the Government announced significant changes to higher education funding.

The Government is still trying to get these reforms passed in the Senate.

Part of the direct action plan the Coalition took to the election included rebates for an additional one million solar panels or hot water systems over 10 years.

Days before the election, then opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said the rebate had halved from $1,000 to $500. The 2014-15 budget contained no funds for the scheme.

In progress

In 2013, then opposition defence spokesman David Johnston promised to build Australia's new submarine fleet in Adelaide.

Talks with Japan have attracted controversy, but the Coalition said before the election it would take 18 months to come to a decision.

The Coalition promised to provide $700 million in funding to the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.

The 2014-15 budget commits up to $1.285 billion to the project. Construction will begin in mid 2015.

In his campaign launch speech in August 2013, Tony Abbott pledged to help make child care more affordable and accessible.

Soon after being elected he announced a major national inquiry into the sector, with a report expected for public release before the end of 2014.

Despite the Coalition's plans for revised Fair Work laws, Tony Abbott said before the election penalty rates would not be wound back.

The Government has introduced legislation which has attracted criticism that it might leave workers worse off.

The Coalition said growing higher education as an export industry - by increasing international student enrolments - would be a priority within the first six months of Government.

Three months after the election, enrolments were up 2 per cent, and by June 30 enrolments were up 11.5 per cent compared with the first six months of 2013.

Topics: abbott-tony, liberals, federal-parliament, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia, act, nsw, sydney-2000, qld, toowoomba-4350

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