Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

I am happy to present and speak to the Treasury portfolio expenditures and appropriations, an important part of the government's economic action strategy.

You have heard it said before, but it is important to make the point again, that we need to implement the economic action strategy to help build a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia. The budget actually seeks to address some of the what are now uncontested challenges that are part of the financial trajectory that the previous government left for the incoming Abbott government. We have heard the Parliamentary Budget Office make the point about how important the need is for action and timely action. We have even heard the opposition leader acknowledge that there is a task to be dealt with. We have heard other expert commentators describing the need for us to take responsible, modest but thoughtful action now so as to guard against the debt and deficit trajectory that had been left for us by the previous government.

It is important to recognise where we are starting from. There is that joke where they talk about—

Mr Bowen interjecting—

No, no! I would reject any suggestion that Treasury is a joke! They take their the work very seriously, and I am appalled to hear from the shadow Treasurer that he is having a go at the Treasury when they do great work—

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