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

What I can confirm is that the economy is now strengthening, more jobs are being created and the budget is on a believable pathway back to surplus. What I can confirm is that we inherited a weakening economy from the previous government. We inherited rising unemployment and, of course, we inherited a budget position that was rapidly deteriorating. The government have worked very hard with a responsible, long-term economic plan to turn around the situation that we inherited. Of course, the results are there to see. Despite global economic headwinds, despite challenges that were unexpected and beyond our control, we are continuing on the same timetable back to surplus as in last year's budget.

What an extraordinary achievement. I would have thought that the Australian Labor Party would have been thanking us for fixing the mess they left behind. I would have thought the Labor Party would have come into this chamber today saying, 'How can we help to strengthen Australia? How can we help you create more jobs? How can we help you get the budget back to surplus more quickly?' Instead, all we are getting is more negativity, more no, no, no, more lazy opposition. There is no alternative plan, of course, from the Labor opposition. All we are getting from the Labor Party is a push for more new taxes. That is not a plan; that is just business as usual from the Labor Party.

The government are working very hard. The government have worked very hard for the last 18 months and more to strengthen growth, by getting rid of your job-destroying carbon tax, by getting rid of your job-destroying mining tax, by cutting red tape costs for business, by entering new free trade agreements with Korea, China, Japan. We are getting on with it and all we are getting from the Labor Party is negativity and political self-interest. It is time that you joined the actual conversation of what is in the best interests of the Australian people.