Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to the promise he made in this year's budget speech that a surplus will be delivered in 2012-13, a commitment that has been described by others in the government as an objective, an expectation, a determination, a plan and a guiding principle. Then this morning the Treasurer said he would give it his best shot. Given that the Treasurer stated just two days ago, 'we are bringing our budget back to surplus in 2012-13', what has changed in the past 48 hours that makes a rock-solid commitment now just an aspiration?

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