Budget blitz: Turnbulll signs off on key measures early

Malcolm Turnbull is understood to have signed off on all the key budget measures, including personal income tax cuts.

Malcolm Turnbull at a childcare centre in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

Malcolm Turnbull is understood to have signed off on all the key budget measures, including personal income tax cuts, a month before its release as cabinet ministers rally around the Prime Minister following the 30th consecutive Newspoll loss for the Coalition.

Senior government sources yesterday confirmed the budget had been “largely ticked off” in a reversal of the feud between cabinet colleagues last year over measures including the first-home buyers package.

The Australian understands Mr Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison have driven a process in which there was little disagreement over the majority of key budget measures.

A senior government source said it was a noticeable turnaround from last year’s pre-budget meetings in which the Prime Minister was said to have virtually “torn up” proposals weeks before the budget was due. “It’s quite rare that you would get a budget done this far out from when it’s due to be handed down,” said one government source with knowledge of the process. Malcolm and Scott were largely on the same page with just about everything.”

Another senior source said the budget was on track, with only “rats and mice” to be resolved.

The precise details of the personal income tax cuts had yet to be locked down, with several revenue forecasts and parameters to be ­finalised. Mr Turnbull said yesterday he would not comment on the budget or expected tax cuts.

“Scott would be very disappointed if I revealed the budget particularly after the Roosters beat the Sharks,” Mr Turnbull said.

The Prime Minister, who will use the budget to reset the debate following 30 straight Newspoll losses, yesterday launched a media blitz attacking Bill Shorten and Labor. He said he backed himself to win the next election but admitted the prospect of a Shorten government was “very real”.

His comments came as Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg indicated they would like to be prime minister in the future.

Mr Turnbull claimed polling was not always reliable, despite using Newspoll as a reason to roll Tony Abbott as Liberal Party leader in 2015. “What the polls show, if you want to pay close attention to them, is right now the government and the opposition are somewhere between even-stevens, 50-50, or we are a few points behind — ­either way it is very close,” Mr Turnbull told 2GB.

“The risk of a Shorten government is very real. The next election is very winnable, it is all there to play for and we will keep fighting right up to election day to ensure we keep Australia the land of ­opportunity it is today.”

Mr Abbott urged government MPs to focus on improving policy rather than obsessing over polls.

The former prime minister played down his own role in the Prime Minister’s woes, including his involvement in the Monash Forum, a group of Coalition MPs urging the government to build a $4 billion coal-fired power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

“One of the differences ­between me and some of my colleagues is that if I have got something to say I don’t ring up a journalist and whisper poison into their ears, I say it upfront, openly and I put my name to it,” Mr ­Abbott said. “I think that is something we need to see more of in our politics; we need to see honesty, we need to see integrity and we need to see people who say what they mean and do what they say.”

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the government must remain united to compete against Mr Shorten at the next election.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Newspoll losses should not be a test of Liberal leadership. She said she had no leadership ambitions and planned to remain as deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said Newspoll was not the main reason Mr Turnbull rolled Mr Abbott. He said the Prime Minister cited a “number of things” including strong economic management.