Only people as thick as the left could not see the irony of Rudd making a concerted media effort to not appear like a spin merchant;

THE Federal Government has issued a list of "wartime-like" infrastructure projects now under way as the hard hat- and fluoro-wearing Prime Minister comes under fire for being more about spin than substance.

Parliament resumes today, with Kevin Rudd likely to face an Opposition tirade over his reluctance to spell out the $300 billion public debt figure and his habitual donning of labourer's gear for the cameras last week.

With Mr Rudd's rating in the polls taking a knock last week and the Government facing increasing criticism over debt and deficit, the Government yesterday sought to show it was for real, issuing a five-page list of infrastructure works already in train.

The document details where the first sods have been turned, railway track laid and houses built, as part of the third phase of the Government's stimulus strategy, the $22 billion infrastructure plan.

Senator Mark Arbib, Labor's fix-it man and parliamentary secretary for government service delivery, who released the list, declared that state governments were "pulling out all stops and allocating resources in a wartime-like effort to get stimulus projects up and running".

Hmmm... state Labor Governments, that reassuring, because they are renowned for project delivery on-time, on-budget... Ghaacckkk... I nearly choked on those words.