Strange to think how the media that greeted Labor unveiling a deficit of $50 billion with criticism and accusations of irresponsibility is cheering on the Coalition a $200 billion plus deficit. Often, the same journalists.

I wonder if we’ll see the News Corp journalists systematically lying about Coalition stimulus programs for months on end.

Or the ABC “investigation” into a “debacle” program that delivers tens of thousands of jobs and valued infrastructure for schools.

Or the journalists who ignore ANAO reports of programs because they don’t fit the narrative.


Or the innumerate Press Gallery journalists happily running Coalition criticisms of spending.

Or the chin-stroking old white male commentator lamenting the loss of fiscal discipline and what the markets will say.


Or the shadow Treasurer fundamentally reversing his position on the budget within a couple of weeks.

Or the Howard government minister whining that its fiscal legacy has been trashed.


Wonder if we’ll get, say, 5% of the forensic scrutiny that accompanied Labor programs in a concerted effort to find even the slightest fault in spending across layers of government.

Or was the whole fiscal discipline thing just a rule that applied only to one side?