The selling of the Labor
Government's first budget is being
done in waves, in a far more collegiate
ministerial effort than the previous
Coalition regime practised.
Where Peter Costello appeared
before the media almost to the
exclusion of colleagues, save for
cameos from John Howard, new
Treasurer Wayne Swan had a brace of
team members on the airwaves with
him yesterday.
While Mr Swan appeared on the
Today show on Channel 9, Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd appeared on the
Sunrise show (his old stomping
ground) on Channel 7 and then
followed with interviews on Sky
News, Sydney radio stations 2UE,
2GB and ABC's AM program.
Mr Swan went from Today to
Adelaide radio 5AA, via 2GB, ABC
Radio National, 2UE, the ABC in
Melbourne and Brisbane, and Perth's
6PR.
And that was just on what his office
listed as his ''major broadcast media appearances'' for the morning before
he took centre stage in the Great Hall
of Parliament for the traditional post-
budget National Press Club address
and question-and-answer session.
Then there was Question Time.
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner
looked after ABC radio in Canberra
and Sydney's 2SM while Assistant
Treasurer Chris Bowen tended ABC
Newsradio, 2GB and Eastside FM.
Families Minister Jenny Macklin
did an interview with Channel 7's
morning news and Deputy Prime
Minister Julia Gillard did the same for Channel 9's morning bulletin,
backing up last night on ABC-TV's
Lateline. And that was all just part of
the first wave.
Ms Gillard's office said the
Education Minister would be ''out
and about'' more today, taking up the
running and giving the Prime
Minister and Treasurer the chance for
some respite from yesterday's
peripatetic sales pitch.
By day's end, it will be the turn of
Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson,
who makes his formal address-in-
reply to the budget.