Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thought the leader of the opposition might want to know the views of his Liberal team. On the question he asked me, as I said in answer to the shadow minister for immigration's question, we have just delivered—as the leader of the opposition may know—the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook. In it we have delivered billions of dollars in savings to return the budget to surplus and we are on track to deliver it.

What I would be interested to know from the leader of the opposition is whether or not, when those savings are presented to the parliament, the opposition will vote in favour of them or against them. They have been out there in the community basically saying that they are opposed to them but will they vote for them or against them? The leader of the opposition cannot be taken seriously on these questions (1) because he has not clarified that (2) because the opposition has a $70-billion black hole and (3) because the opposition is running, hiding and refusing to submit its figures to Treasury for proper costing.

When it comes to these questions of budget management, from the days of Peter Costello to now, it has been apparent that the leader of the opposition has no credibility. And no day in opposition has served him well because there is not one day that he has bothered to make a new policy statement of substance. There is not one day that he has done a proper costing. There is not one day that he has promised to put his figures in for proper assessment. There is not one day that he said he is prepared to abide by the charter of budget honesty. Until he does so then his contributions in this debate will be weighed for their worth, which is absolutely nothing.

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