boatboy, similar arguments could be made for Labor in 2007, when spending had been increased by the previous government and in addition revenue collapsed due to the GFC, so the ability to meet the previous governments commitments was serverly hindered.
I put the Coalitions starting debt almost 10 months into the future to allow for any transition, though realistically the Coalition has plenty of time to sort out the mid year budget prior to the end of this year. So technically the Coalition are getting a free 6 months grace period.
The current PEFO and budget are the starting point, there is not likely to be any major surprises or any dramatic down turn in revenue similar to the GST levels, so the figures I posted are very fair and reasonable.
