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.