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

To hear the parliamentary secretary speak, you would think there had never been a global financial crisis. You would think that the government had not brought down a budget that increased the deficit relative to the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook. In fact, what we have heard today from the parliamentary secretary is a comparison of the government's budget update with the government's budget rather than the baseline Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook with the budget itself.

I did not hear an answer from the parliamentary secretary to any of my four questions. I know the parliamentary secretary has authored a book called Wild colonial boys: bushrangers in the Riverinabut he really is a bushranger of the Riverina when it comes to answering questions in here: all shooting through and no standing to deliver.

He did not answer what a numerical forecast would be of a strong surplus, sound economic growth prospects or low unemployment. He also curiously did not attempt to differ from the minister for immigration on the notion that the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook is the baseline. I take it that he agrees with the minister for immigration. He did not disagree with the suggestion that the government has cut $80 billion from schools and education, and he certainly did not suggest that the Queensland budget papers were misleading when they reported a $16 billion cut to hospitals and schools in Queensland.

I want to ask four further questions, and see if the parliamentary secretary might this time turn his mind to answering some of them rather than presenting prepared speeches. Firstly, can the parliamentary secretary confirm that an error in Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2013-14, without amendment, would lead to $972.4 million in funding to the states, territories and local governments in 2013-14 not being legally paid? When did the government find out about this error? Did Finance advise the government of the error? If so, when did it occur? Can the parliamentary secretary advise how the error came about and how a print-production error could cause the error to occur? Can the parliamentary secretary advise when amendments will be tabled to fix the error?

Secondly, can the parliamentary secretary explain why all of the savings in relation to the Communications and Public Affairs Functions targeted savings measure have been allocated to Finance in its portfolio budget statement page 20, when the measures in Budget Paper No. 2, page 113, state that the savings are from 'various agencies'? Can the parliamentary secretary advise the House of the split between portfolios of the savings amount, and can the parliamentary secretary advise the House how the savings amounts were calculated?

Thirdly, can the parliamentary secretary advise the House of how many public-office holders in the finance portfolio will be affected by the salary freeze? Can the parliamentary secretary advise who those public-office holders are? Can the parliamentary secretary advise what levels of savings are obtained from the freezing of salaries of public-office holders in the finance portfolio?

Fourthly, can the parliamentary secretary advise the House the amount of savings obtained through ceasing the Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation and winding up the Australian River Co. Limited? Given the proximity of this to the member's electorate, I hope he might turn his mind to answering these four very specific questions.

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