Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister planning to abandon any of his budget measures? Or is he just planning to abandon his Treasurer, as he did at the press conference today?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand by my Treasurer. I stand by my Treasurer and I stand by my team. This is a government which is delivering the kind of fiscal responsibility which the electorate put us in to deliver. Thanks to the stewardship of the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance we are having real expenditure growth of less than one per cent compared to 3.6 per cent under members opposite. Is it any wonder that members opposite were never able to deliver a surplus—a surplus they promised time and time again. They did not just promise it; they said they had delivered it. The kind of fiscal responsibility and frugality that the Australian people need is being delivered by this government and this Treasurer.