Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Tonight the government will deliver the 2015 federal budget that will continue to deliver our responsible long-term economic plan to grow the economy and fix Labor's debt and deficit disaster.

The Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about acting in the national interest and protecting Australia's standard of living. But what does his record say? And what is his plan? The Leader of the Opposition was a senior member of the former Labor government that oversaw six years of chaos, waste and mismanagement—a government that protected the national interest by delivering higher taxes and debt and deficits as far as the eye could see. Labor turned nearly $50 billion in the bank into projected net debt worth well over $200 billion. That is the fastest deterioration in debt in dollar terms as a share of GDP in modern Australian history. It is quite an achievement—not!

They burdened Australian businesses with the world's biggest, job-destroying carbon tax and a grubby deal with the Greens. They watched as small business after small business struggled with high electricity bills and unnecessary red tape.

Sadly, the only industry to prosper under the Leader of the Opposition's time in government was that of the people smuggler. More than 50,000 people arrived illegally by boat, creating a blow-out of $11.6 billion in border protection costs. This record certainly did not protect Australia's standard of living; it eroded it. The Leader of the Opposition wants to lecture us on the responsibility of government to do the right thing by our citizens?

Our aim since day one has been to ensure that all Australians live in a strong, safe and prosperous community. Unlike members opposite, who spent six years destroying our economy, we are committed to stabilising the nation's finances and reducing debt. We are doing so because we know this is the key to building a stronger economy and a better future for all Australians. Australia is seeing real progress. Our economic plan is working. Growth is up and jobs are up. This is a budget for confidence, a budget for middle Australia. It is about encouragement to all Australians to have a go.

The government's Jobs for Families childcare package will encourage more than 240,000 families to increase their involvement in paid employment, including almost 38,000 jobless families. We are lifting Australia's standard of living with a new childcare safety net to support families who are vulnerable and disadvantaged. Our achievements demonstrate that we are almost certainly acting in the nation's interest.

Labor's projected debt and deficit has been cut in half. We are on a credible path back to surplus. Unlike the former Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government—which stumbled from opinion poll to opinion poll, and spent like Craig Thomson with an HSU credit card—we are taking responsible decisions that are in the long-term interest of Australia.

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