Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister stand by his 2019 statement that he 'brought the budget back to surplus next year'?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the past six years our government has been dealing with the financial wreckage that was left to us by the Labor Party. I remember well when 'Obi Swan' came to the dispatch box and his Padawan over there was priming him up as he came into the chamber and he talked about those four surpluses. The Padawan may recall that the GFC had passed by that time. That budget surplus that Obi Swan announced on that night was based on an iron price of US$180 a tonne.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a very short question that goes to a quote from the Prime Minister himself. It was on 8 May, just to jog the old memory, in the National Press Club debate that you said, 'Brought the budget back to surplus next year.' Do you stand by it?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has had—

Mr Bowen interjecting—

The member for McMahon is warned! I'm not going to have members interjecting when I'm seeking to rule on a point of order that their own leader has raised. Yes, the question was specific. The Prime Minister has been entitled to a preamble, but he knows that he needs to come back to the specifics of the question.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point I was seeking to make is when the Treasurer—

Ms Butler interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith will leave under standing order 94(a).

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point I was making is that the budget that was handed down by the Treasurer for 2019-20 was based on the assumptions of the economy at that time. And the assumptions of the economy at that time were very credible assumptions, as opposed to the assumptions that were made by the previous Labor Party when they were in government and forecast surpluses based on pure fantasy. The surpluses that we forecast at the last budget were based on an outlook that was a very credible and a very sensible outlook at that time.

The challenges we now face, which have literally emerged in just the last few weeks, will definitely have a significant impact, and they have been evaluated by Treasury as we move towards the next budget. But this is what the Australian people will know: that the actions of our government will always put jobs first, will always put those businesses first and will always put that investment first, and, because we worked so hard to bring the budget back to balance, which we achieved last year, we can now confront the challenges of bushfires, of coronavirus, of floods and of drought.

That's why the Australian people trusted us at the last election. Those opposite thought the best antidote to what the country was going to face was higher taxes and higher spending. That was rejected by the Australian people at the last election. This leader of the Labor Party still clings to those policies, and that's why the Australian public don't trust him with the economy any more than they trusted the last bloke.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the member for Lyne: there are a number of members who I have asked to cease interjecting. If they interject again, they will leave immediately under 94(a). I'm not going to run through the list of them—it's far too long.