This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Tony Abbott has attempted to draw a line under two weeks of budget controversy by declaring that the "watershed" economic plan included funding for a crime crackdown.



The prime minister visited western Sydney on Friday to promote security camera spending, as his senior ministers contemplated likely Senate defeat on key budget measures by pre-emptively branding the opposition irresponsible.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, countered by saying Abbott had been "the emperor of negative" when in opposition.

Shorten was confronted about his tactics during an ABC radio talkback session. He replied it was not negative to defend Medicare against a new GP fee, defend pensioners against unfair changes, or defend motorists against higher fuel tax.

Abbott acknowledged the public backlash the Coalition had faced over the budget, saying it was up to all government members to sell the economic plan.

"I know that it's been an interesting week or so for senior members of the government, but this is a good budget and this is a budget which will ultimately be seen as a watershed in the life of our country – a budget which made a decisive break from six years of borrow and spend," he said.

Making a law-and-order pitch, Abbott visited Campbelltown to highlight the allocation of $20m over the next 12 months to install new CCTV cameras and fund other safety projects around Australia.

He said the program – funded by seized proceeds of crime – was "an important element in our budget".

But Abbott continued to face political heat over another budget measure – the planned $7 fee for GP visits, to apply from July next year.

He conceded that "hard-pressed families" would "find this burdensome", but sought to allay cost-of-living concerns with a reminder of his efforts to scrap the carbon tax.

The health minister, Peter Dutton, told a healthcare forum his department predicted the co-payment would stop only 1% of people going to the doctor in the first year, and half that in its second, the Australian Financial Review reported.

In a separate public appearance, Dutton told the Australian Medical Association's national conference in Canberra the government was "asking people to take more personal responsibility for their health through modest contributions".

Labor's health spokeswoman, Catherine King, told the same event the government's planned changes undermined the principle of universal health access and the opposition could not support them.

But Labor's voting intentions were less clear in relation to the three-year “deficit levy” on income above $180,000.

Shorten said the measure represented an increase in income tax and a clear broken promise, but the opposition was yet to finalise its position.

He signalled the opposition had bigger priorities, including countering the health, pension, petrol excise and university changes.

"We’re not going to give a green light to Tony Abbott wrecking this country," Shorten said.

"I wish he wasn’t wrecking the country. The truth is, what he’s doing is negative. We’re being positive because we’re for Medicare, we’re for pensioners, we’re for kids from modest backgrounds being able to go to university."

Abbott's senior economic ministers, Joe Hockey and Mathias Cormann, attempted to apply political pressure to the opposition as they continued the budget sales job in Western Australia.

The treasurer and the finance minister portrayed Shorten as "the nation's chief whinger".

Hockey would not comment on the government's chances of securing key budget measures through the Senate.

"I'd just say that it is time for Bill Shorten to become a responsible leader of the opposition and start showing some restraint instead of being all complaint," Hockey said.

The treasurer said he was not worried about a Washington Post article that claimed Abbott was becoming one of the world's most hated leaders. Hockey pointed instead to an editorial in the New York Post, a Murdoch tabloid, which "praised it as a magnificent budget".

The opposition treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen, said it was up to the government to negotiate with senators to secure passage of the major elements, pointing out the Gillard government had to deal with a hung parliament.