Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised to "bust regulatory congestion" - congestion being his favourite hate word.

The Institute of Public Affairs greeted the news enthusiastically, saying red tape cut economic output by an estimated $176 billion a year.

It was as if no one, except Donald Trump, had ever thought of attacking red tape before.

Have they forgotten Tony Abbott already?

A bit over five years ago the then PM held the first of a series of Repeal Days in which, amid much chest-thumping, 12 bills repealing 9500 regulations and 1000 acts of parliament were introduced.

This Savonarola of the statutes spoke with relish about measures, mainly from Labor's time in office, facing extinction.

Senior bureaucrats were even turned into regulation bounty hunters, with their pay linked to their zeal in cutting red and green tape.

Morrison then was busy stopping boats as Immigration Minister.

But his Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, would certainly remember.

As Abbott's parliamentary secretary he did most of the donkey work in rounding up doomed regulations. It certainly did his career no harm.

The new Frydenberg is Ben Morton, assistant minister to the Prime Minister.

Australian Associated Press