Policies always properly costed: PM PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says her government will always properly cost policies and identify offsetting savings, as has been the case since 2009. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on Wednesday asked Ms Gillard if she stood by her statement that every time her government announces something it will be properly funded, given the mining tax has collected less than 10 per cent of its forecast revenue but has expenditure against it of $15 billion. "Let me assure the leader of the opposition this government will always properly cost policies and we will identify savings," she told parliament. We have been offsetting new expenditure since 2009. She said it was very important this year that Australians were able to compare policies, their merits, their costs and where the savings were coming from. She said the opposition claims its costings can't be released until after the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook was made available by August 22 and before the September 14 election. That is nonsense. If the leader of the opposition is in possession of costed policies, he could start identifying the matching savings," she said. If he doesn't do that transparently, then Australians are entitled to conclude that money will come in secret cuts in a way in which the Newman government has proceeded in Queensland.