JOHN Howard has swept aside claims he broke his 2004 promise to keep interest rates at record lows, insisting that voters do not hold politicians to single promises but only to general impressions of their views.
And the Prime Minister has also drawn on a Reserve Bank observation that wages growth is not excessive as an endorsement of his industrial relations policies.
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His comment came yesterday as the central bank met widespread expectations by increasing official interest rates by 0.25 of a percentage point to 6.75 per cent.
It was the sixth successive increase since Mr Howard's promise of record lows in the 2004 election and, with the nation going to the polls on November 24, the first time the bank ordered an increase in the middle of an election campaign.
As Labor leader Kevin Rudd demanded the Prime Minister take personal responsibility for breaking his 2004 promise, Mr Howard said he was asked innumerable questions and made multiple comments during campaigns.
All about 'the aggregate impression'
"It's no one statement that totally, well very rarely, is it one statement that totally sort of, adumbrates the whole thing," he said.
"It's the aggregate impression."
seriously - how can you believe this guy - core and non core promises, "in the context of the election campaign", ads that run for two nights do not count, and now, even promises do not count
