abbott the genius

Is Tony the wrong kind of fiscal conservative to lead the Coalition?

As Health Minister in the Coalition Govt:

(1) Tony's Medicare Safety Net scheme to help people cover large out-of-pocket medical bills was meant to cost $495 million over four years. By the end of its first year it was costing taxpayers $1 billion.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/a-very-different-baby-bonus/story-e6frezz9-1111114199784

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/suedunlevy/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/a_big_black_hole_in_abbotts_credibility/

(2) Tony's 2006 Better Access Scheme for mental health, which introduced Medicare rebates for psychologists, was meant to cost $538 million over five years. It?s now forecast to cost $2 billion over five years.

http://www.mhca.org.au/documents/FactSheets/MBS%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

(3) Tony's scheme to provide a Medicare subsidy for the dental care of the chronically ill was meant to cost $377.6 million over four years. By March 2010 it cost $869 million.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Dental-scheme-change-lacks-bite-Labor/2007/08/14/1186857474009.html

Now some of these services might be demand driven but its a big worry Tony didnt cost/budget the initiatives better when introduced. Its what some people might call a budget black hole.