Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to deal with a policy issue that was asked of me by the honourable member for Reid. The question was: why are we focusing on reducing the debt and deficit? I can inform the House that Fitch Ratings, the credit rating agency, have just released a statement to say, 'Aussie budget enhances long-term sovereign risk profile.' They say:

… it is positive for Australia's long-term sovereign risk profile that the planned fiscal consolidation will be driven primarily by structural reforms to spending.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. In terms of the forms of the House, if the information was not available at the time that the answer was given it cannot be used to add to the answer later. This could properly be a ministerial statement, but this is not the form of the House to use.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will just conclude the quote.

These include increasing the pension retirement age to 70 by 2035, indexing pensions to CPI as opposed to wage growth, increasing petrol excise taxes, introducing medical co-payments, and tightening the requirements for unemployment and family tax benefits.

I table that.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer did stretch it somewhat.