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

The Australian people can look to the determination to bring the budget back to surplus, which is demonstrated by the $34 billion of savings made in this budget. What the Australian people are also entitled to see—and this should be tomorrow night in the budget reply—is the party who claims they would deliver a bigger surplus telling Australians how they would get there. They have never fronted up on their $70 billion black hole. They have never made it clear to the Australian people just what they would cut. Last night my counterpart, Mr Robb, said they would deliver a surplus of $15 billion. To do that, you would have to not pay Medicare next year. You are making glib promises because you want to hide the real savings measures you have in mind. Either that or you are simply not telling the truth.