Why do people delude themselves into wasting time talking crap like "Absorbed Funding Measures"?

If you need a new car, you have to find a way to pay for it.   You don't say, "no worries luv, go down the dealership and sign up to an Absorbed Funding Measure deal.   Job's right."

But that's the deluded rubbish The Rudd and his vandals have inserted into the budget to pay for the things our fighting men and women need.

Here's The Rudd approach to budget honesty for other than pet projects.

• Make grandiose announcements about buying big things ("Did I mention the President of the United States phoned me earlier today to tell me what a great job I've been doing").
• Engage consultants to workshop a fancy bulltish term to describe the fact that there is no money.
• Re-cast the budget with new purchases funded by Absorbed Funding Measures.
• Invite All The Presidents Facebook Men around to hear how Spanky Banky Moon doesn't move without ringing you.
• Make sure Fairfax Press sub-editors at least plant seeds of suspicion that the Coalition is behind the criticism.

Coalition exposes $4.1 billion defence spending shortfall

John Kerin

The Coalition has slammed the Gillard and Rudd Labor governments over the imposition of an effective $4.1 billion in further cuts to defence.

The accusation follows the release by the Defence Department of figures showing new money has not been earmarked for more than 40 initiatives between 2009-10 and 2016-17 that would cost a total of $4.106 billion.

Among the project costs the department has had to absorb from within its existing budget is almost $1.2 billion over four years towards the cost of 12 Super Hornet Growler fighters to strengthen Australia’s air defences before the delivery of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Defence also has to absorb $1.1 billion over four years to fund navy workforce expansion and training programs.

A further $258 million needs to be found for a sixth C-17 Globemaster transport plane and $157 million for buying the Largs Bay transport ship from Britain’s Royal Navy. The department also has to find $37 million to fund the Defence Force Abuse Response Task Force and $83 million for the associated payouts to the ­victims.

The Labor government came under fire for imposing almost $25 billion in cuts and project deferrals despite its promised big-spending 2009 defence white paper, with spending falling to its lowest level of gross domestic product since 1938, as part of efforts to achieve an elusive budget surplus.

Though retiring Defence Minister Stephen Smith did call a halt to the cuts in 2013-14, an election year, and there was a 2.3 per cent increase in spending, annual funding of $25.4 billion was still below 2009-10 levels in real terms.

Coalition defence spokesman David Johnston said the “absorbed funding measures’’ were essentially another cut to defence.

“The invisible Minister for Defence is very good at making grandiose announcements,” Senator Johnston said.

“However, what has been revealed is that between 2009-10 and 2016-17, defence will have 40 projects paid out of absorbed measures.