Different budget and election narratives

Comments on Paul Kelly “Accounts deliver an election narrative”, 12/05/2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/budget/accounts-deliver-an-election-narrative/story-e6frgd8o-1225865279225

While the government may feel good in that the budget is projected to return to surplus much earlier with debt peaking at a much lower level, many people may be wondering two underlying issues:

1. How on earth the government can be so confident for its projected upside for the next 3-4 years based on very rosy assumptions when it did so wrong in its last budget on the downside risks for the last year?

2. How much of the improvement in both the economy and the budget bottom line is due to external demand driven lucky factors as opposed to Labour's fateful, wasteful and largess stimulus spending?

The opposition may use a strategy in its campaign using a narrative like the following:

No waste, efficiency, productivity, priority and double the surplus!