Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, a buffer. 70 billion is about right. That is what you need. So 500 billion dollars is a reasonable request for this government to make, given the context of the budget mismanagement that you have put together.

Opposition members interjecting—

And it is galling for you to be sitting here lecturing us on economics. It is galling for the member for Melbourne to be lecturing us on economics. You have created this problem. This is a problem of your making. For the shadow treasurer to say that Labor has approved an increase of just 400 billion is, I think, completely disingenuous and rude to the Australian people. I think the Australian people are going to see through this debate. Talk about Tea Party tactics—I mean, this is a Tea Party tactic. I have got a newsflash for you. You have been studying over the break because this is exactly what the Tea Party would do in the United States—

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