Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Does the Treasurer stand by his statement of 3 September this year that ‘It is just the height of economic irresponsibility, at a time of global uncertainty, such as we experience at the moment … to put the Government in a position where this surplus will be eroded …’?

Government Member:

Are you quoting accurately?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not know if it was accurate or inaccurate; I would not know. If I am being quoted accurately, it would have been in reference to all of the actions by the opposition in the Senate to vandalise the surplus, the surplus that we are now using to protect Australian households and Australian businesses from the global financial crisis. Those opposite have not, in the whole year they have been in opposition, produced any coherent framework when it comes to an alternative budget or an alternative financial position.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You’d copy it!

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I get it now—we copied it and they tried to destroy it. Where are they coming from? There is no coherent framework over there, and there was none from the Leader of the Opposition at the Press Club today. There has not been a single position of economic responsibility shown by those opposite. They promise bipartisanship and then oppose everything in the House, including the surplus that the government is using to protect the economy, households and businesses from the impact of the global financial crisis. It is going to get tough. We have had the midyear economic review and we have modest growth and modest surpluses. We worked hard in the budget to build a strong surplus to give the flexibility that we have now used to protect the Australian economy. At every step of the way we were opposed by those opposite, who now claim to believe in surpluses they were trying to destroy. What you will see from this government is responsible economic management, and what we have seen from those opposite is complete irresponsibility day in, day out.