Truck Talk Australia: Oppn 'doesn't need to cost' fuel fund

"ABC News"

The Federal Opposition says it should not be expected to fully cost its plan to cut the petrol excise by 5 cents and will fund the plan from other savings when election time comes around. 

Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson announced the $1.8 billion plan in his Budget reply speech on Thursday.

The plan would cost the states $750 million in GST revenue but the Opposition has not yet identified where the money will come from.

This morning Opposition Treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull told Channel Nine that it was not the role of the Opposition to identify Budget savings.

"The Labor party did the same thing when they were in Opposition," he said.

"We get presented with the Budget papers and we get, just like you [journalists], three or four hours to read them and come up with some concrete suggestions," he said.

"But what we're saying is, as a matter of principle, when we got to the next election, we will have a proposal to cut the fuel excise, and we will fund that out of savings elsewhere."

"ABC News"