Coalition calls for Federal Police probe into costings leak

11/08/10

The Coalition has today withheld 20 policies which were ready to submit to Treasury for costing, until the Treasurer Wayne Swan identifies the source of the leak reported in a front page splash in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday.

The costings process has been badly compromised by the leaking to the media, 11 days before the Federal election, of confidential Treasury advice about interest payments on the NBN programme, dated 5 July.

The Government has already sought to use this leaked information to mount an attack on the Coalition. The Treasurer has himself confirmed to John Stanley on 10 August on 2UE : “that is the costing that has come from the Treasury.”

But yesterday Mr Swan walked out of a press conference, refusing to answer questions about it.

If the leak has come from Treasury a criminal offence will almost certainly have been committed, yet there is no indication that the AFP has been called in.

In the past the Government has not hesitated to call in the AFP for Treasury leaks.

Further, the Coalition wants to know why it has taken more than 24 hours for policies submitted by the Coalition under the Charter of Budget Honesty to be posted on the Treasury web site.

On 9 August the Coalition lodged with the Prime Minister’s own office 18 policies for costing, but apparently they didn’t reach the relevant department for another 24 hours.

Earlier in the campaign, the lodgement of Coalition policies was being acknowledged within an hour.

This is a matter of great seriousness, given the paramount need of Treasury to act with absolute impartiality.

The Coalition remains strongly committed to releasing to the public well ahead of the election savings and expenditure policies – fully costed, fully funded and independently verified.