Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The government’s strategy for returning the budget to surplus and for repaying the government borrowing is outlined clearly in the budget papers. Furthermore, what I would say to the Leader of the Opposition, as his question goes to the point of numbers, is as follows. We had the clear articulation of the opposition strategy on debt and deficit on display at the doors today. The Leader of the Opposition was asked the following question, given we are all about specificity on budget numbers: ‘What does the coalition regard as an acceptable level of debt?’ The answer from Mr Turnbull was: ‘The level of debt should be no more than is absolutely necessary.’ Then the journalist asked this question: ‘What’s that, then?’ Mr Turnbull’s answer: ‘Well, it’s not a question of a number.’

We have had a two-week strategy from the opposition which is all about numbers, specificity and drilling down, and then when asked a simple question on the doors today—’Come on, Malcolm, what is it?’—the answer was, ‘Well, it’s not a question of a number.’ Can I just say: this is the ultimate bookending of what began with the Hockey doctrine two weeks ago, which confirmed that the Liberal strategy on deficit and debt is equal to the government strategy on deficit and debt, equal—

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