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Govt refuses to comment on ‘humiliating’ leak

The federal government is refusing to comment on what Labor is calling a “humiliating” leak of core budget details.

Sky News on Monday night revealed purported key points of a script for a radio and television ad campaign to be rolled out after the May 3 budget.

Presenter Paul Murray told viewers the ads would boast of $16 billion worth of budget savings over four years, including crackdowns on superannuation tax concessions and multinational tax avoidance.

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“The government doesn’t respond to speculative reports,” a spokesman for Treasurer Scott Morrison told the ABC.

The details were aired three hours after the Senate handed Mr Turnbull a double dissolution trigger, effectively ensuring a July 2 election date.

Labor’s Financial Services spokesman Jim Chalmers described the leak as a deliberate attempt to destabilise Prime Minister Turnbull’s leadership.

“This humiliating leak says two things,” he told ABC’s AM program.

“One, that the government is so divided and so dysfunctional that they are leaking against each other on the first day of the campaign.

“Secondly, that they’re prepared to spend taxpayer dollars on their election campaign.”

Mr Chalmers is calling on the government to confirm the veracity of the information aired by Sky.

“First thing, during the day, they need to clarify whether this is a genuine leak,” he said.

Meanwhile, while questioned about the TV ad campaign later on Tuesday, Mr Turnbull insisted there were no plans made to speak the May 3 budget.

“No decisions have been taken in that regard,” Mr Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.

ABC, with AAP

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