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

The senator speaks about the promise of fiscal consolidation. I am sure I can give a commitment on behalf of the senators on this side that we will vote for that. We will vote for those measures in the budget that ensure that there is the fiscal consolidation that the senator speaks of. We will vote for the savings measures that make sure this country is back on track to return the budget to surplus. We will do that. I would invite the senator, if he does care about these issues—if he cares about debt and if he cares about returning to surplus—to stand up now and tell us that he will also vote for the government's savings measures. If he fails to do that, his silence will speak volumes.