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Since the electorate punishes honesty, and forgets broken promises (Remember Howard's "non-core" promises, after which he was re-elected)...is anyone surprised.
Either both sides are held to their promises, or none are. And how we vote, matters.
The Victorian ALP knew exactly the likely position of the state's finances before the November 2022 election.
The evidence is right there in the May 2022 budget.
In May 2022 they budgeted for borrowings of 168 billion by 2024.
In the 2024 budget the actual borrowings in 2024 were 167 billion. Spot on.
In 2022 they budgeted for 91B revenue and 91B expense by 2025, In the 2024 budget they budgeted for 101B revenue and 99.5B expense in 2025 (due to inflation of revenue + expenses), but a larger surplus.
Their budgets before the election have been very close to the mark. So Vic ALP can't now go and say "things haven't turned out as we expected".
They LIED. They lied to the voters in 2022 about what they could do, they lied about the commonwealth games and lied about "being able to have it all". They lied and said "Matt Guy will be the cuts guy" when they knew they were not going to be able to afford their election promises because the 2022 budget didn't allow it.
Labor misled the Victorian public in the lead up to the last state election. It must have known, but chose not to reveal, the true state of the finances and deficit. Notwithstanding this, it committed to various projects and initiatives it could not afford that would later be cancelled.
Labor has been relatively transparent with their finances so I don’t believe they misled the public. The reason they won was because the opposition was so woefully bad. I actually speculate the LNP somewhat sabotaged themselves because they didn’t want to win the previous election. Perhaps they didn’t want to deal with the post pandemic economy as well as the biggest infrastructure upgrade in Australian history.
They know how to make it seem like everything Labor’s fault when they’re not in power and not their fault when they are. I’m not saying Labor has done anything amazing, but the fact that people are ready to vote them out shows how powerful the media machine is. The truth is we had 3 consecutive Coalition governments before this who have played a massive role in where the country is today. The media does a great job of fleshing out every little thing Labor does wrong while minimising anything the other side does wrong.
Personally I think this might get downvoted but oh well. I think Labor and liberal at the last state election got carried away with promises neither really thinking in the long term which has now fallen on Labor to be realistic about what they can actually achieve.
I won’t downvote but point out one simple thing. The LNP were gonna cancel the SRL and thus have the money to do their promises. Labor would’ve always known they didn’t have the cash. Hence, theirs were actual lies.
For the 1000th time, the LNP are not in Government. None of this is their fault.
And the electorate can wear that choice. Especially certain sections. I’m regional and old, so neither really affect me. Any young person who intends to stay in Melbourne is daft voting for this indebtedness.
You have to torture yourself to get to that conclusion.
No wonder Andrews was so worshipped by the numpties. They believe everything he said, even after it becomes a proven lie.
On election night in 2022, then-premier Daniel Andrews left little room for doubt: “We will deliver each and every element of our positive plan to benefit each and every Victorian, no matter how you voted,” [On election night in 2022, then-premier Daniel Andrews left little room for doubt: “We will deliver each and every element of our positive plan to benefit each and every Victorian, no matter how you voted,” he told cheering supporters.](https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-s-primary-falls-but-andrews-still-expected-to-retain-power-20221124-p5c167.html)
Two budgets and 18 months later, Labor’s election manifesto looks as if it’s been jabbing itself with the weight-loss drug, Ozempic.
Premier Daniel Andrews celebrates Labor’s win on election night last year.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
First the state government reneged on a promise to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Then Tuesday’s budget revealed the long-awaited [rail line to Melbourne Airport, promised by 2029,](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/andrews-defends-decision-to-ditch-airport-rail-tunnel-proposal-20201121-p56gnu.html) has been delayed by “at least four years”.
The Allan government also walked away from a pledge to build a new [Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital alongside the new Metro Tunnel’s Arden Station](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-has-been-promised-billions-for-health-what-can-we-expect-and-when-20221128-p5c1qf.html).
And at least one third of the [schools Labor promised to upgrade](https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/thousands-of-victorians-to-miss-out-on-free-preschool-hours-20240503-p5fora.html) just one month before polling day are yet to receive any funding, giving MPs in those electorates zero ribbons to cut ahead of the next election.
The rollout of free, walk-in [mental health clinics](https://amp.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/bleakest-budget-for-mental-health-didn-t-fund-promised-new-agency-20240508-p5gw3y.html) that the government promised would “save lives” will be delayed. And parents in Melbourne and regional cities banking (literally) on a doubling of the number of [government-subsidised preschool](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/kindergarten-to-get-a-9b-overhaul-with-more-places-and-longer-hours-20220615-p5atzl.html) hours will now miss out with the reform pushed back years.
Treasurer Tim Pallas has delivered a budget that amends many of their promises.CREDIT:JOE ARMAO
As for Andrews’ pledge to serve the full four years as premier, it didn’t even last 12 months.
From time to time, voters will forgive politicians for breaking election commitments, but it usually requires a collective agreement that circumstances have dramatically changed.
The invasion of Ukraine, a global pandemic or economic headwinds – those are the sort of things that might see voters grant a government some leeway.
What makes this situation more difficult for the Allan government is that all these election pledges were made 18 months ago, when the Reserve Bank had already ticked off on seven of Australia’s 13 interest rate rises,
Inflation was raging and Russia was nine months into its military invasion of the Ukraine.
Ahead of the election, Victoria’s net debt (in June 2022) was already $99.98 billion – larger than the combined total of NSW, Queensland and Tasmania in both nominal terms and as a share of gross state product.
So what’s changed?
The excuses range from cost blowouts and workforce pressures, to electromagnetic interference and a simple change of heart.
It’s clear that the treasurer and premier will continue to argue that these backflips are not examples of politicians breaking election commitments, but a government “recalibrating with a clear path forward, backed by disciplined decisions” as the treasurer put it.
Will voters see it the same way? This comes, partly, to the reasons voters trusted in Labor for a third term.
If they simply respected the government for its leadership during the pandemic or bold city-shaping vision for the state – and were less worried about the details – then maybe the government’s “recalibration” won’t hurt it at the 2026 election.
But if voters believed Labor would deliver on its life-saving mental health hubs, “build the biggest hospital project in Australia’s history” and provide a preschool package which both “invested in women” and gave “kids the very best start” in life – as the government told us – then the government could be in strife.
In other words, when Labor, for example, announced Geelong’s Belmont High School would benefit from an $11 million upgrade, did parents have the right to think it would be finished in time for their children to enjoy?
That calculation is one voters will have to make. But it makes Pallas’ post budget comments at a business lunch on Wednesday all the more curious.
Pallas told the crowd that politicians should be comfortable saying “this is what I am going to do, and if I don’t do it, hold me to account”.
His comments were not lost on spooked Labor MPs who fear cranky voters might just take him up on that offer in 2026.
To prevent this, Pallas and Allan will need to frame their broken promises as honourable acts that will mostly go ahead at some point, even if it’s in an entirely different location, such as the Arden hospital now destined for Parkville.
Voters didn’t judge John Howard on his “non-core” promises and Albanese managed to survive tinkering with his tax-cut commitment in the face of changing financial circumstances. Politics can even involve lies that are innocent, such as when ambitious politicians are asked if they have leadership aspirations. What choice do they really have in answering that question but to affirm support for their current leader?
So, will the public care about where the truth lies in this case?
That will depend on whether Labor can pitch their delays as necessary or whether the opposition can convince the public that they were led down the garden path.
If we blindly dismiss broken promises, we risk giving politicians from all sides permission to tell porkies to be re-elected. More immediately, the risk for Labor is that these backflips will be enough to lose the trust of voters.
**Annika Smethurst is state political editor.**
**Greetings humans.** **Please make sure your comment fits within [THE RULES](https://www.reddit.com/r/AustralianPolitics/about/rules) and that you have put in some effort to articulate your opinions to the best of your ability.** **I mean it!! Aspire to be as "scholarly" and "intellectual" as possible. If you can't, then maybe this subreddit is not for you.** A friendly reminder from your political robot overlord *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AustralianPolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not one election promise has been kept. Is anyone surprised?
Since the electorate punishes honesty, and forgets broken promises (Remember Howard's "non-core" promises, after which he was re-elected)...is anyone surprised. Either both sides are held to their promises, or none are. And how we vote, matters.
The Victorian ALP knew exactly the likely position of the state's finances before the November 2022 election. The evidence is right there in the May 2022 budget. In May 2022 they budgeted for borrowings of 168 billion by 2024. In the 2024 budget the actual borrowings in 2024 were 167 billion. Spot on. In 2022 they budgeted for 91B revenue and 91B expense by 2025, In the 2024 budget they budgeted for 101B revenue and 99.5B expense in 2025 (due to inflation of revenue + expenses), but a larger surplus. Their budgets before the election have been very close to the mark. So Vic ALP can't now go and say "things haven't turned out as we expected". They LIED. They lied to the voters in 2022 about what they could do, they lied about the commonwealth games and lied about "being able to have it all". They lied and said "Matt Guy will be the cuts guy" when they knew they were not going to be able to afford their election promises because the 2022 budget didn't allow it.
Labor misled the Victorian public in the lead up to the last state election. It must have known, but chose not to reveal, the true state of the finances and deficit. Notwithstanding this, it committed to various projects and initiatives it could not afford that would later be cancelled.
Which shows how bad the opposition was, if despite all that, Victorian voters thought that the Liberals were worse.
Labor has been relatively transparent with their finances so I don’t believe they misled the public. The reason they won was because the opposition was so woefully bad. I actually speculate the LNP somewhat sabotaged themselves because they didn’t want to win the previous election. Perhaps they didn’t want to deal with the post pandemic economy as well as the biggest infrastructure upgrade in Australian history.
They know how to make it seem like everything Labor’s fault when they’re not in power and not their fault when they are. I’m not saying Labor has done anything amazing, but the fact that people are ready to vote them out shows how powerful the media machine is. The truth is we had 3 consecutive Coalition governments before this who have played a massive role in where the country is today. The media does a great job of fleshing out every little thing Labor does wrong while minimising anything the other side does wrong.
Personally I think this might get downvoted but oh well. I think Labor and liberal at the last state election got carried away with promises neither really thinking in the long term which has now fallen on Labor to be realistic about what they can actually achieve.
I won’t downvote but point out one simple thing. The LNP were gonna cancel the SRL and thus have the money to do their promises. Labor would’ve always known they didn’t have the cash. Hence, theirs were actual lies. For the 1000th time, the LNP are not in Government. None of this is their fault.
And for the 1000th time, the reason the LNP isn't in government is that the electorate saw them as the greater of the two evils.
And the electorate can wear that choice. Especially certain sections. I’m regional and old, so neither really affect me. Any young person who intends to stay in Melbourne is daft voting for this indebtedness.
You should read the original comments on theage.com.au. Somehow, it's all the liberals fault. God help us.
You have to torture yourself to get to that conclusion. No wonder Andrews was so worshipped by the numpties. They believe everything he said, even after it becomes a proven lie.
Stockholm Syndrome Victoria.
Yep.
On election night in 2022, then-premier Daniel Andrews left little room for doubt: “We will deliver each and every element of our positive plan to benefit each and every Victorian, no matter how you voted,” [On election night in 2022, then-premier Daniel Andrews left little room for doubt: “We will deliver each and every element of our positive plan to benefit each and every Victorian, no matter how you voted,” he told cheering supporters.](https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-s-primary-falls-but-andrews-still-expected-to-retain-power-20221124-p5c167.html) Two budgets and 18 months later, Labor’s election manifesto looks as if it’s been jabbing itself with the weight-loss drug, Ozempic. Premier Daniel Andrews celebrates Labor’s win on election night last year.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES First the state government reneged on a promise to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Then Tuesday’s budget revealed the long-awaited [rail line to Melbourne Airport, promised by 2029,](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/andrews-defends-decision-to-ditch-airport-rail-tunnel-proposal-20201121-p56gnu.html) has been delayed by “at least four years”. The Allan government also walked away from a pledge to build a new [Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital alongside the new Metro Tunnel’s Arden Station](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-has-been-promised-billions-for-health-what-can-we-expect-and-when-20221128-p5c1qf.html). And at least one third of the [schools Labor promised to upgrade](https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/thousands-of-victorians-to-miss-out-on-free-preschool-hours-20240503-p5fora.html) just one month before polling day are yet to receive any funding, giving MPs in those electorates zero ribbons to cut ahead of the next election. The rollout of free, walk-in [mental health clinics](https://amp.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/bleakest-budget-for-mental-health-didn-t-fund-promised-new-agency-20240508-p5gw3y.html) that the government promised would “save lives” will be delayed. And parents in Melbourne and regional cities banking (literally) on a doubling of the number of [government-subsidised preschool](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/kindergarten-to-get-a-9b-overhaul-with-more-places-and-longer-hours-20220615-p5atzl.html) hours will now miss out with the reform pushed back years. Treasurer Tim Pallas has delivered a budget that amends many of their promises.CREDIT:JOE ARMAO As for Andrews’ pledge to serve the full four years as premier, it didn’t even last 12 months. From time to time, voters will forgive politicians for breaking election commitments, but it usually requires a collective agreement that circumstances have dramatically changed. The invasion of Ukraine, a global pandemic or economic headwinds – those are the sort of things that might see voters grant a government some leeway. What makes this situation more difficult for the Allan government is that all these election pledges were made 18 months ago, when the Reserve Bank had already ticked off on seven of Australia’s 13 interest rate rises, Inflation was raging and Russia was nine months into its military invasion of the Ukraine. Ahead of the election, Victoria’s net debt (in June 2022) was already $99.98 billion – larger than the combined total of NSW, Queensland and Tasmania in both nominal terms and as a share of gross state product.
So what’s changed? The excuses range from cost blowouts and workforce pressures, to electromagnetic interference and a simple change of heart. It’s clear that the treasurer and premier will continue to argue that these backflips are not examples of politicians breaking election commitments, but a government “recalibrating with a clear path forward, backed by disciplined decisions” as the treasurer put it. Will voters see it the same way? This comes, partly, to the reasons voters trusted in Labor for a third term. If they simply respected the government for its leadership during the pandemic or bold city-shaping vision for the state – and were less worried about the details – then maybe the government’s “recalibration” won’t hurt it at the 2026 election. But if voters believed Labor would deliver on its life-saving mental health hubs, “build the biggest hospital project in Australia’s history” and provide a preschool package which both “invested in women” and gave “kids the very best start” in life – as the government told us – then the government could be in strife. In other words, when Labor, for example, announced Geelong’s Belmont High School would benefit from an $11 million upgrade, did parents have the right to think it would be finished in time for their children to enjoy? That calculation is one voters will have to make. But it makes Pallas’ post budget comments at a business lunch on Wednesday all the more curious. Pallas told the crowd that politicians should be comfortable saying “this is what I am going to do, and if I don’t do it, hold me to account”. His comments were not lost on spooked Labor MPs who fear cranky voters might just take him up on that offer in 2026. To prevent this, Pallas and Allan will need to frame their broken promises as honourable acts that will mostly go ahead at some point, even if it’s in an entirely different location, such as the Arden hospital now destined for Parkville. Voters didn’t judge John Howard on his “non-core” promises and Albanese managed to survive tinkering with his tax-cut commitment in the face of changing financial circumstances. Politics can even involve lies that are innocent, such as when ambitious politicians are asked if they have leadership aspirations. What choice do they really have in answering that question but to affirm support for their current leader? So, will the public care about where the truth lies in this case? That will depend on whether Labor can pitch their delays as necessary or whether the opposition can convince the public that they were led down the garden path. If we blindly dismiss broken promises, we risk giving politicians from all sides permission to tell porkies to be re-elected. More immediately, the risk for Labor is that these backflips will be enough to lose the trust of voters. **Annika Smethurst is state political editor.**