FED: Budget planning going well, despite PM's absence

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2008
FED: Budget planning going well, despite PM's absence

MELBOURNE, April 11 AAP - Budget planning is going well, despite the prime minister's
absence, Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner says.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has come in for heavy criticism for jetting off on an 18-day
overseas trip so close to next month's federal budget.

Mr Tanner told reporters in Melbourne today representatives from Mr Rudd's office had
been at all budget-related meetings.

"If you know the prime minister, you know he'll be keeping a very close eye from afar
on what's been going on," he said.

"I've no doubt he's very aware of what's been going on in those meetings, and of course
he'll be back in a few days.

"He'll be inserting himself into those discussions very quickly."

Mr Tanner said there was a lot of fine detail in the work that did not necessarily
require the prime minister to be involved in.

"There's a million dollars here, a million dollars there, that in the context of the
budget don't have a huge impact, but we have to work our way through," he said.

AAP kb/ce/jt/mn

KEYWORD: BUDGET TANNER

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