Abbott Government delivering more promises than it is breaking, ABC Fact Check's Promise Tracker finds

Updated

Promise Tracker ABC Fact Check is tracking almost 70 major pre-election promises made by the Coalition.

In the wake of its first federal budget, the Abbott Government has been accused of breaking its pre-election promises.

But ABC Fact Check has found more of its promises have been delivered than broken.

The unit has launched a new interactive Promise Tracker, which is following almost 70 major commitments made by the Coalition in the lead up to the 2013 federal election.

Tony Abbott repeatedly promised that if elected, his Government would "stop the boats", "scrap the carbon tax" and "get the budget back under control".

The Promise Tracker reveals that more than 10 months into the Government's term, 12 promises are delivered, six are broken, four are stalled and the majority remain in progress.

Delivering on the carbon tax

A big achievement so far has been the repeal of the carbon tax - arguably the centrepiece of Mr Abbott's campaign.

After twice being rejected by the Senate, Palmer United Party senators, Motoring Enthusiast Party Senator Ricky Muir and others finally agreed to support the legislation with amendments, and it passed.

Mr Abbott is also pursuing his pledge to be a Prime Minister for Indigenous Australians. The first two promises he delivered were moving Indigenous affairs into the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and establishing a Prime Minster's Indigenous Advisory Council.

He has also established two promised judicial inquiries - one into the former Rudd Labor government's home insulation program and the other into union corruption - and he has carried out his promised National Commission of Audit.

Stopping the boats a work in progress

The bulk of the Government's promises are still in progress, including its election pledge to "stop the boats" - a reference to asylum seekers who come to Australia by boat seeking refugee status.

On June 19 the Government announced: "Today marks six months since the last successful people smuggling venture to our country."

Mr Abbott told a press conference: "The last thing you're going to get from this Government is self-congratulation or trumpet-blowing, but there is certainly some quiet satisfaction that we have stopped the boats – if not for all time at least for six months – particularly given the absolute shambles on our border that we inherited."

But earlier this month the Government confirmed it had intercepted two boats at sea carrying Sri Lankan asylum seekers.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has since announced that 157 of those asylum seekers, who had been held on a Customs boat for more than three weeks, will be transferred to mainland Australia for processing.

Fact Check is also tracking 12 of the Government's major infrastructure promises - including $6.7 billion to fix Queensland's Bruce Highway and $5.6 billion to complete the duplication of the Pacific Highway - all of which are in progress.

Tax increases a broken promise

The Government repeatedly said the only party that would increase taxes after the election would be the Labor Party.

But its first budget contained plans for a "temporary repair levy" on high income earners from July 1, 2014, the reintroduction of the fuel excise indexation from August 1, 2014, and a $7 co-payment by patients for general practitioner, pathology and diagnostic imaging services from July 1, 2015.

The Treasurer himself has confirmed that the measures amount to tax increases. With the Senate passing the deficit levy last month, the promise is broken.

In mid July the Government quietly sidelined its plan for a fuel excise hike beginning in August.

And on the eve of the federal election, Mr Abbott made a last-minute promise on live television that there would be no cuts to the ABC and no cuts to the SBS - both of which were broken on budget night.

Keep track of the Government's major promises

In his budget reply speech, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten accused the Coalition of "being obsessed with the wrong priorities and addicted to telling lies".

"If you relied on the Prime Minister's promises – then you were betrayed," Mr Shorten said. "This is a budget of broken promises built on lies."

The Prime Minister says he is keeping faith with his election promises.

"I believe that this is a Government which is keeping faith with the Australian people, that is carefully and methodically delivering on the commitments that we made to the Australian people at the election," he told ABC's 7.30.

What do you think? Check in with Fact Check and the Promise Tracker regularly to stay informed.

Topics: federal-government, abbott-tony, political-parties, hockey-joe, liberals, government-and-politics, australia

First posted