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

No, I am not. There is no alternative plan. The Labor Party are playing politics. The Labor Party are jumping up and down. They are opposing $40 billion in savings measures including $5 billion in savings that Senator Wong initiated and banked in her last budget. If you want any evidence that the Labor Party is playing politics with our nation's future, look no further than to the Labor Party which is opposing Senator Wong's own savings measures. How reckless and how irresponsible can you get?

I say again to the Senate, you might think that the budget we delivered is tough but, if we do not make those decisions today, those decisions required in the future will only get tougher. If we continue to borrow from our children and grandchildren today, if we keep our hand in our children's pockets, we will have to make more difficult decisions down the track and that is why there is no alternative to the budget that we have delivered. Indeed, Mr Shorten and Mr Bowen have not put forward any alternative. They are just playing politics. They do not care about the national— (Time expired)