BRENDAN Nelson has vowed a Coalition government would slash fuel excise by 5c a litre and lift education standards by raising "embarrassingly low" entry requirements for teacher training courses.
And the Opposition Leader has also promised to reduce qualifying periods for capital gains tax exemptions for business owners planning retirement, to improve incentives for the small business sector.
who was trying to undermine his leader. Dr Nelson narrowly won the Liberal Party leadership from Mr Turnbull after Kevin Rudd won the November election. The former general practitioner has since struggled in opinion polls and attempted to use last night's speech to establish his

By Samantha Maiden BRENDAN Nelson has challenged Kevin Rudd to slash petrol taxes by 5c a litre if the Prime Minister is serious about reducing

By Malcolom Farr, National Political Editor AN AGGRESSIVE Brendan Nelson last night took on the Government's Budget with a pledge to fight its tax increases

BRENDAN Nelson has staked his leadership on a bid to cut fuel excise to ease cost-of-living pressures and fight inflation.
In a show of strength, Dr Nelson used his Budget reply speech last night to declare that he was prepared to use Coalition numbers in the Senate to block the Government's new tax on pre-mixed alcohol drinks.
bring them down.

OPPOSITION Leader Brendan Nelson has sought to revive his ailing leadership with pledges to cut petrol excise and block a 70% tax hike on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks.
In a crucial performance watched intently by his back bench last night, Dr Nelson also vowed in his budget reply speech to stop an exodus from health insurance by blocking Labor's plan to cut a tax slug on higher earners without private cover.
ne and a rum-based mixed drink during question time to accuse the Government of double standards, because the wine had twice the alcohol content but attracted half the tax rate.

BRENDAN NELSON has staked his leadership on a bold promise to reduce petrol excise by 5 cents a litre and a pledge to block in the Senate up to $6 billion in tax and revenue measures contained in the federal budget.
The measures, which would strip more than $13 billion from the budget bottom line over the next four years, were outlined in the Opposition Leader's budget reply last night in which he contended there was no inflation crisis but only a challenge.
s," he said.