Engineering Recruitment, Engineers Recruitment, Engineering Employment, Engineering Professionals, Engineering Jobs, WA, Australia

As an alternative to government funding, a coalition government would leverage 'tens of billions of dollars' by issuing infrastructure bonds that require little support from taxpayers. Infrastructure Australia would be charged with the responsibility of overseeing a 15-year rolling plan for nationally important projects. Earlier, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, announced how a coalition government would encourage the long-term unemployed to find and retain a job with job commitment bonus payments. Treasurer Wayne Swan dismissed the plan, saying the coalition's budget numbers don't add up. The coalition confirmed on Tuesday that it will release comprehensive costings of its election commitments within 36 hours. In the meantime, officials from both sides are still negotiating the details of a leaders’ debate about the economy. Ms Gillard accused the opposition leader of being “a bit too clever by half” and retreated when quizzed about Labor’s national broadband network, twice failing to say how many homes would be connected during the next three years.

Excerpt from: The Australian Financial Review (http://www.afr.com), 17 August 2010