The gold standard

Venise Alstergren writes: Re. “Crikey says: five questions for Abbott”(yesterday). Why do you persist in using the term rolled-gold when what you mean is solid-gold? Rolled gold is gold beaten, or melted, so fine it is useless. Tony Abbott is rolled-gold as a human being, but do you want him to give us a cast-iron guarantee in his budget-answer speech? If he verbally says he gives you his rolled-gold promise, you should know it is worthless. Or do you have a different gold-standard to the rest of us?

It’s all very puzzling.

The task of a Treasurer

Gratton Wilson writes: The indicators that matter give the prize to Swan. A Treasurer who gives taxes back to taxpayers and leaves infrastructure education and health in a mess does not deserve any accolades. You collect taxes to meet needs. If  you collect too much and so can return it then you are not only a poor economic manager, you have committed a series of crimes against your community.