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Opposition is supposed to be a time for doom, gloom and dispiriting navel inspection.

But as it turns out, losing power, status, staff and the might of the bureaucracy pale into insignificance when the new government is doing your job for you.

Indeed, said press secretary was jubilant well before the audit commission's five-kilo effort was dumped on the nation. Or before Treasurer Joe Hockey announced that the government would legislate to raise the pension age.

The press sec jig was performed in honour of the fact that for several days, the very real prospect of a "debt levy" or "deficit tax" had been front and centre of the government's dance card. Reports had first appeared in News Corp papers over the weekend and then continued into the early part of the week, with the suggestion that those on incomes of $80,000-plus would be hit. Or was that $100,000?

No one was really sure.

On Tuesday, the guy who said before the election that there would "certainly" be no tax rises under his government, was pressed by Fairfax Radio's Neil Mitchell about reports of the new levy.

Mitchell asked Tony Abbott no less than seven times whether there would be tax increases or changes in the coming budget.

The Prime Minister dither-stalled.

He began by saying "we are currently mulling over all the various issues we face", and after increasing interviewer pressure ("is this type of proposition on the table?") ended up with "well there's a range of options that we're dealing with".

He then argued that a "permanent increase" in taxation would be a broken promise.

In a news conference later on Tuesday, he again fanned the flames of speculation.

"There's a whole range of measures which the government is in the process of finalising in the fortnight leading up to the budget."

Shortly after this, when asked about Coalition ructions over his paid parental leave scheme, Abbott stood by his "fair dinkum" policy.

"We're not going to be a government which promises things before the election and walks away from them afterwards," he declared.

The very next day, he confirmed that the income cap on the policy would be reduced from $150,000 to $100,000.

While the backdown may not be big in terms of money-saving or people affected (it is estimated that 2.3 per cent of Australian women earn more than $100,000), it is a howler when it comes to the sheen of Abbott's agenda.

Paid parental leave was his self-described "signature" policy that had been taken to two elections.

Sure, Abbott was obviously reluctant to make the change, explaining that cabinet's budget committee had "decided that the cap ... would be reduced". And indeed, reducing the cap is the only obvious way of getting it through the Senate (by securing the the crucial support of the Greens).

But it was a howler no less.

Then, on we marched into a week where policy ideas and plans were fired across the land with the sort of shock, awe and substance as if someone had set fire to a box of old fireworks in the garage.

The audit commission contained everything from lowering the minimum wage, to forcing unemployed young people to move cities, cutting the age and disability pensions, curtailing universal healthcare and increasing road tolls.

How much of it will actually be implemented, and how and when, remains to be seen.

But in the meantime – like the debt levy – it fuels a scare campaign beyond Labor's wildest dreams.

Of course, on Friday, Hockey made a call on one part of it, by confirming that the government would increase the pension age to 70 by 2035.

And this gave Labor its third opportunity (at least) this week to come out and press the BP buzzer. After hanging out with age pensioners in Melbourne, opposition payments spokeswoman Jenny Macklin stood up to say the Coalition had broken a promise.

"No change to pensions is what Tony Abbott said to all Australians before the election," she pronounced with the high-horsed indignation of Miss Marple revealing a murderer.

"Tony Abbott's budget of broken promises ... is bad news for everyone who is struggling to make ends meet," chimed Bill Shorten in support.

It was hardly award-nominating stuff. But it didn't need to be.

By making the last three years of Australian politics all about trustworthiness, broken promises and "toxic taxes", Abbott had set a harsh and totally unforgiving scene for governing.

Amid the confusion and genuine concern felt by voters at the moment, the Prime Minster will not be judged by any harsher standard than his own.

Judith Ireland is a Fairfax Media journalist.