Peter Costello refuses federal audit job FORMER Treasurer Peter Costello has ruled himself out of being part of the Abbott Government's commission of audit to tackle waste and overhaul government spending. But writing in today's Herald Sun, Mr Costello says the audit must "stretch the envelope" and will be of no use unless it gives the Government fresh ideas. Treasurer Joe Hockey is considering options for a panel of at least three experts to conduct the audit. An interim report is likely by March so options to cut waste and slash running costs can be considered for the May Budget. Mr Costello says it is "a delicate job" because new ideas are needed but "there is no point making recommendations that have no hope of implementation." It is important they appoint people (I will not be one) who are familiar enough with the problems of the last six years to give a proper analysis of how the mistakes were made, how they can be fixed and how they can be avoided in the future. These people should try to stretch the envelope," he writes. Mr Costello as treasurer in 1996, had a commission of audit report to him and last year he was chairman of an audit for Queensland. He took a shot at a 2010 report commissioned by the Victorian Coalition government that has never been released, saying "no-one knows what is in it." Mr Costello likens the process to an assessor who inspects the damage done to a house before repairs begin. There must be an honest appraisal of what has gone wrong and a program to fix it. The repairs have to be done in the right sequence," Mr Costello writes. But he says while the audit can present options, it is up to the government to decide what it is willing to accept and implement. The 1996 audit called for death duties and pension cuts that were rejected by the Howard Government. It comes as Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to clean out most of the board of the embattled National Broadband Network. The Abbott Cabinet is expected to discuss the issue at a meeting next week as speculation mounts former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski is set to become chief executive officer of the overhauled NBN. Meanwhile, the final Victorian seat was decided yesterday with Labor's Rob Mitchell holding on to McEwen by 345 votes over Liberal Donna Petrovich. It makes McEwen the state's most marginal seat on 0.17 per cent. Indi, where independent Cathy McGowan defeated Liberal Sophie Mirabella by 431 votes, is second with a margin of 0.24 per cent.