Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

It is the case that there has been an increase in this budget for the cost of dealing with asylum seekers. We know that management of our borders does cost money. We know that detention arrangements do cost money, as they did under the previous government. We have made appropriate provision for that, and it is the appropriate thing to do to ensure that we manage Australia's borders in the way that is expected.

In relation to family payments, I would make a number of comments. This government has been a strong supporter of family payments. This government took to the last election the policy to extend a higher level of family tax benefits to families with teenagers who were still in study and in training. We think that is a sensible policy that will mean more families get higher levels of support through the family payment system. That policy was fully funded, fully costed and has been provisioned for in last night's budget. If the opposition want to complain about measures we have taken to target the family payment system to ensure it is more sustainable, I hope the opposition will live up to its own rhetoric and point to what other savings it would put forward if it wishes to oppose those measures. The opposition cannot keep getting away with opposing savings— (Time expired)