Fiona Scott (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer outline the steps the government is taking to build a stronger economy? How will a stronger economy lead to more and better jobs in Australia?

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

As a starting point I say to the member for Lindsay and all members in this place: we have to fix the budget mess we inherited from Labor. If we allow the budget to continue on the path that Labor laid down, in 10 years time every single Australian would have $25,000 of government debt against their name. Every child born in 10 years time would have $25,000 of debt at the moment of birth as a result of what Labor has done. Six years of Labor was like a wrecking ball through the Australian economy.

We are determined to deliver growth and jobs. For the people of western Sydney, where the member for Lindsay resides and works, the fact is we are committing nearly $3 billion for new road infrastructure and we are getting on with the job of building the Badgerys Creek airport after years of procrastination.

In addition to that, we promised we would get rid of the carbon tax. We got rid of that carbon tax. We said we would get rid of the mining tax for all Australians. We got rid of the mining tax. We said we would start the process of rolling out the biggest infrastructure program in Australian history and we are doing that. We said we were going to start to fix the budget and we are getting on with that.

But of course there are obstacles. Today being Thursday, it is book club Thursday.

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

We do not have props.

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

Who is our favourite author?

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

The member will resume his seat.

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

Every time I speak his sales go up by one!

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

The Treasurer will not use the book as a prop!

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

I tell you what: in 400 pages of the Swan book we could not find one mention of surplus—not one mention. Oh, come on, Swanny! Not one mention. Try it now: give us one surplus, Swanny!

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. That is a lie.

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

The member for Lilley knows that is against the standing orders and will withdraw.

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

I will not withdraw. It is a lie.

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

The member for Lilley will remove himself from the House under the provisions of standing order 94(a). The Treasurer has the call. He may quote from the book but not use it as a prop.

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

Well, Madam Speaker, I am just going through the index here. I can see 'Dominique Strauss-Kahn', 'superannuation', 'Erinn Swan', 'Kim Swan', 'Libbi Swan', 'Matthew Swan', 'Wayne Swan' but no 'surplus'. I cannot find it. But he promised it. How many times? Three hundred or 400 times he promised it. He even claimed to deliver a surplus, and Labor claimed to deliver a surplus. But the fundamental problem is that Labor were wreckers in government and now they are wreckers in opposition, as well. They are opposing $40 billion of savings that are going to try and fix the Labor mess—the irony being that $5 billion of those savings are the things they actually announced but are now opposing. They are hypocrites when it comes to the budget and they are reckless when it comes to the economy.