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

I think that is actually the same question that Senator Abetz asked me. There are also some factual assertions in the question with which I do not agree, but I will leave those for the moment. The core issue here is how political parties, parties of government, make sure they disclose to the Australian people in budget updates but most importantly before an election how they will cost their policies. Those of us on this side of the chamber have ensured that we have done that. We have ensured that our budget updates have complied with budget practice and we have ensured that election policy commitments comply with the Charter of Budget Honesty introduced by former Liberal Treasurer Peter Costello. Those opposite have manifestly failed to do so.

We know what play book those opposite are playing out of, and that is the play book that Premier Newman demonstrated to Queenslanders. Before the election you do not tell anybody anything. You set up a commission of audit and then all of sudden you say, 'I know I said to the public servants they have nothing to fear, but I'm now going to sack 14,000 of them and cut into front-line services for Queenslanders.' That is the play book that Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey and Senator Cormann want to engage in, which is why they do not want to come in here and tell any Australians what their plans really are.

Senator Cormann does not want to come in here and say how he will find $70 billion. He does not want to come in here and say which services he will cut. He does not want to come in here and say how many people he will sack. And he does not want to ensure that he actually releases policies which have been costed in accordance with the Charter of Budget Honesty.

We have a track record as a government of making structural saves, many of which you have opposed, like the private health insurance rebate. Do not come in here and lecture me about the structural integrity of the budget. You voted against the private health insurance rebate and everybody knew that was an important structural save for the future. (Time expired)