Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I have four questions, to begin with, for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance. First, I refer to the government's fiscal strategy as outlined on page 3-7 of Budget Paper No. 1. Can the parliamentary secretary explain how you would quantify (a) a strong surplus, (b) sound economic growth prospects and (c) low unemployment? Can the parliamentary secretary put a number on those three criteria? Second, does the parliamentary secretary agree with the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection when he told the House on 3 June 2014:

If I go back to the PEFO—as we know, the PEFO is where the officials tell the truth about what the budget really is from the previous government. From the previous Government, that's what it does.

Third, can the parliamentary secretary confirm that the government's own budget documents, page 7 of the budget overview, confirm that funding to schools and hospitals will be $80 billion less than under previous arrangements? Parliamentary Secretary, is this not an $80 billion cut? Fourth, can the parliamentary secretary confirm to the House that this government's $80 billion cuts to hospitals and schools have led to a $16 billion cut to hospitals and schools in Queensland? If not, is the parliamentary secretary saying that the Queensland budget papers are misleading?

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