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

The thing that the Labor Party does not understand is that the decisions we make today have medium- to long-term consequences. The decisions that Labor made between 2007 and 2013, locking in unsustainable, unaffordable spending growth, still have consequences today. We are still dealing with the consequences of Labor's fiscal mismanagement. Let me say it again very clearly: the budget, the economy, today is in better shape than it would be if Labor had still been in government, because we have been making significant progress in fixing up the mess that Labor made of our budget.