Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. I refer him to his claim that he will pay off Labor’s massive debt by the year 2022. Will the Prime Minister provide the House with all the projected economic growth figures, inflation rates, budget surpluses and other financial assumptions through to 2022 which he says will support this dubious claim?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. What I would say in response to it is that, notwithstanding the fact that the government debt and deficit strategy is the lowest debt of any major advanced economy in the world and has been reaffirmed with a AAA credit rating by Standard and Poor’s, the government’s strategy for dealing with the return to service and the payment of debt is outlined in the budget papers. The government stands by that strategy.