Election campaign put to the test

FIRST ON 7: Fact checking service PolitiFact has been applying its Truth-O-Meter to our leaders' first statements of the election campaign.

It has found they have been mostly good so far, but maybe stretching the truth just a little.

With a month to go, each side is eager to make the other look like losers.

Helping to keeping them honest are the fact-checkers at PolitiFact, analysing opening salvos, like this one from Tony Abbott; "the Budget is blowing out by $3 billion a week."

Government revenues have been downgraded by $33 billion from May's budget to last week's economic review - which might seem like $3 billion a week, but those are revenues forecast across four years, not 11 weeks.

PolitiFact's verdict? Mostly False.

"It's really more like $160 million, big difference from $3 billion," Editor-in-Chief Peter Fray said.

Another statement that raised doubts was from Kevin Rudd; "Australian Government debt per head of population is one of the lowest."

Poitifact says only New Zealand and South Korea are lower - so the verdict is true.

Also under the microscope is Tony Abbott's claim that changes to company cars amounts to a 'tax hit'.

Politifact says it is the Fringe Benefit rules that have changed, not the FBT rate.

"Where it get a little off key shall we say if where he talks about, implies, that the FBT tax rate is actually going up - well, it's not," Peter Fray said.

But drivers could still lose money, so the verdict is mostly true.