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

No wonder that Senator Wong made such a mess of the budget, because she does not actually understand the indicators that matter when it comes to spending growth. The indicator that matters is by how much expenditure is going up above inflation, by how much expenditure is going up year on year in real terms. Of course, under Labor, on average, in their first five years it went up by 3.6 per cent above inflation. In our first budget, it went up by just one per cent a year above inflation. In our second budget it is going up by just 1.5 per cent above inflation. The only reason why that is slightly higher is because the ramp-up in expenditure on the NDIS is coming into the forward estimates. We have a bipartisan commitment to the NDIS, and that is one of the reasons why we have to make sure that we make space in the budget: in order to be able to afford the important investment into the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I am working very closely with Senator Fifield to ensure that we make that happen. The truth is that Labor left behind an unsustainable spending forward trajectory and we are fixing it. (Time expired)