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

Mr President, I was asked about chaos and I am making the point that we have a budget and we have laid out our plans. It is interesting that the coalition pretend to want a surplus but in relation to the two issues about which I am asked they come in here and say they do not want to support them but they want a surplus. We have been transparent and have said to the Australian people that these are the changes we require to ensure the budget returns to surplus. We have done that.

The coalition's leader has confirmed that $70 billion worth of cuts is what you have to make, but he will not tell any Australians what those cuts will be. Will you not pay the age pension for a couple of years? Will you not pay family tax benefit? Will you cut back on Medicare? You will not tell people. You hide your costings and then you have the temerity to come in here and criticise the government's budget.

The reality is that we have laid out our plans to bring the budget back to surplus. That includes a range of decisions. We would welcome in the passage of budget bills an opposition that was actually prepared to show its economic credibility to the Australian people, but those opposite will not. This is an opposition that used a catering company to do its immigration costings, an opposition that will not be upfront with the Australian people about what it will cut.