ELECTION 2010: Independents blast Abbott for not providing policy costings

Tony Abbott’s refusal to submit the Coalition’s election promises to Treasury for costing may cost him his chance to become Prime Minister, with two of the three independents that will decide who forms a minority government slamming the Opposition leader.

NSW independent Tony Windsor says Abbott’s refusal to submit the policies for costing did nothing for Abbott’s attempts to build trust with the independents.

“It’s not a good start at all, because when we go to this issue of stability… what we’re trying to establish here is a degree of trust,” Windsor told Fairfax Radio.

“I described it this morning as starting a race with a bucket of concrete around one foot.”

Queensland independent Bob Katter was more blunt and slammed Abbott’s “intransigence” on the issue.

“It makes it much more difficult for us to give him the gong to become Prime Minister.”

However, Abbott is holding firm. He has offered the independents access to the Coalition’s own independent policy costings, prepared by accounting firm WHK Howarth, and has attacked caretaker Prime Minister Julia Gillard for agreeing to the independents’ demands.

“What we’ve got here is a desperate Prime Minister trashing the Westminster system in an attempt to hold onto power,” he has said on ABC radio.

Abbott argues that while the public services should be allowed to provide the independents with briefings, giving them specific advice about confidential information was not reasonable.

The spat over policy costings has clearly enraged the independents, and taken some of the gloss off a Galaxy poll which suggested the voters in the electorates of Katter, Windsor and Oakeshott want their MPs to back the Coalition.

The survey of 600 voters in the three independents’ seats found 55% favoured the Coalition, although 77% said they wanted their representatives to act in the national interest, rather than bargaining for sweetheart deals for their owns seats.

The independents have now returned to their electorates for the weekend, before heading back to Canberra for a week of talks starting next Monday.