Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Siewert for her question. This government tonight in the budget will set about the task of getting the budget back on track. I am glad that Senator Siewert talks about equity issues and intergenerational equity issues, because consistent deficit budgeting is nothing more than intergenerational theft, and this government is determined to put in place a plan to put to an end that intergenerational theft.

Those opposite, both Greens and Labor, consistently put forward a false dichotomy. They present economic policy and social policy as alternatives. They are not. They are two sides of the one coin. You need to have a good economic policy so that you can sustain a good social policy. And at the heart of a good economic policy is a good budget policy and a government that lives within its means. Unless government lives within its means, unless it stops intergenerational theft through the form of deficit budgeting and debt, it does not have the capacity to sustain the sorts of social programs that we all want to see continue.

That is why this government is taking these steps tonight in the budget—which will in many cases be difficult decisions to take. We are doing that because of our deep and profound commitment to a good social safety net in Australia, for pensions—for the disability support pension, for the age pension—and also so we have the capacity to introduce, in full, a National Disability Insurance Scheme. That is why the government is taking these steps. It is because we understand the importance of a social safety net in Australia.

So I would urge senators opposite to read the budget very carefully so that, after 7.30 pm tonight, they can go through the Australian community and explain the good work that this government will be doing and the effort that we are taking to make sure that there is a social safety net there for the long term.