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

Thank you very much, Mr President. Spending under this government is lower than it would have been under Labor. Look no further than the Intergenerational report, which showed that spending under Labor, as a share of GDP, was on track to be in excess of 30 per cent of GDP. We have reduced spending growth of 3.6 to 3.7 per cent above inflation to just 1.5 per cent above inflation. Labor is trying to have it both ways in this debate. They are trying to say that we are cutting too hard and that we are spending too much. People across Australia know that you do not know how to manage money and that we have to fix up your mess yet again. (Time expired)