Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I was asked about the government’s budget strategy. Our budget strategy is abiding by our rules, undertaking the biggest fiscal consolidation since the 1960s and bringing the budget to surplus in 2012-13. We are obviously confronted by obstacles. One of those obstacles is the opposition’s inability to embrace a savings measure in this parliament because of their cheap populism and lack of strategy. Despite that obstacle, we will deliver the fiscal consolidation we have promised and we will bring the budget to surplus in 2012-13 as promised. And, of course, we will not take any advice from the creators of $11 billion black holes as we go about that work.

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