Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Williams, move:

That the Senate calls on the Government to instruct Treasury to:

(a) expedite the completion of the Final Budget Outcome for 2012-13 as soon as practicable after the end of the financial year; and

(b) make the Final Budget Outcome for 2012-13 available for the Treasurer to release by 31 August 2013.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senators Cormann and Williams be agreed to.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a brief statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Labor-Green government has just voted against the transparent release of the final budget outcome for 2012-13 before the election in September. I guess that, in a way, we are not surprised, because this government does not think that people across Australia should know what the final budget outcome is for 2012-13 before they are asked to cast their ballot on 14 September. They are clearly embarrassed about the absolute mess that our Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has made of the budget. After $172 billion worth of accumulated deficits, we know that we are on track for yet another deficit this financial year. That is despite the Treasurer and the Prime Minister promising on more than 500 occasions that in 2012-13 they would be delivering a surplus. There was never going to be a surplus. This is a government that does not know how to manage money. People across Australia intuitively know that it always comes down to the coalition to fix Labor's fiscal mess.