That's a bit harsh, Cowboy. Governments don't predict deficits and surpluses, the Public Service do, even if it's pollies doing the talking when the trumpets blare. Governments get to craft an outcome by inputing policy, but only based on predictions made by the help. Once they get the help, they can opt to change variables (as they sometimes do, the LNP have tweaked things like the fe price for eg) for political reasons. If anyone could really predict, for example, the fe price across the forward estimates they wouldn't be in Government, they'd be private sector squizzilionaires. None of the indices are really easy, and some are usually just a complete educated stab. That goes for all economists, commentators, etc who also take inaccurate stabs. It's just not that easy.
I know you said it as part of an ongoing argument elsewhere, but it's not really fair to adjudge Governments to be incompetent when their predictions are wrong. It's not the Government's work that tends to be the offending material.
