Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Edwards for that very important question. It is important for us to repair the budget if we want to protect our living standards now and into the future. When we came to government in September, we inherited an economy growing below trend. We inherited a situation where there was rising unemployment, low consumer confidence and a budget in very bad shape. We inherited a spending growth trajectory which was unsustainable.