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

As I said, budgets are about choices. They are about what sort of future you want for the Australian nation. We made our priorities very clear last night—first, that we would put jobs and growth first; and, second, that despite the hit to revenues, despite the difficult budget circumstances the nation found itself in, we would make room for two key priorities that are very important reforms that will transform the nation. The first of those is DisabilityCare. It is the next stage of Medicare, it is long overdue and it is ensuring that people with a significant and permanent disability in this country finally get the support and the services that they need.

We are also ensuring we invest in a smarter nation, investing in our schools. We on this side do not believe it is in the spirit of the Australian fair go that too many children get left behind because of their postcodes, and we have made room for that investment. (Time expired)