Senate crossbenchers dig in over harsh budget measures

Nope. Still no sign of the slightest budge from the crossbench senators needed to pass the most unfair and unpopular budget measures. In fact I'd say it's going disastrously for the gov:

On Sunday, Finance Minister ­Mathias Cormann said unless spending was brought under control, it was inevitable that taxes would have to rise if the budget were to be balanced. 

This was perceived as a threat by Labor, the Greens and the Senate crossbenchers. 

The Palmer Unite Party, the support of which is critical, had met on Sunday and leader Clive Palmer told The Australian Financial Review it has not changed its mind on the many budget measures it opposed. 

PUP senator Glenn Lazarus confirmed this with a statement lashing out at Senator Cormann and the ­government, saying he “would not be bullied into agreeing to budget ­measures which are unfair, cruel and unnecessary”. 

“This is simply another hollow and desperate threat on the part of a very arrogant and out-of-touch Abbott government to push through harsh budget measures so they can fund their own pet programs,” Senator Lazarus said. 

“I was voted in to look after the people of Australia, not to take basic support away from pensioners and hard-working Australians. 

“I think it would be political suicide for the Abbott government if they did try and introduce more taxes to the Australian public and I can’t see that happening.” 

Like Mr Palmer before him, Senator Lazarus said Australians did not vote for the more harsh budget measures last year and “if the Abbott ­government wants proof of this, they should go back to the polls”. 

He advocated income tax cuts to stimulate the economy and singled out for specific disdain the proposals to apply a Medicare co-payment and deregulate the university sector, which would cause the cost of a degree to spiral. “Education is one of the most important assets in our society and we should be making it more accessible to our people, not making it more ­expensive and difficult to access,” Senator Lazarus said. more