House debates

Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Questions without Notice

Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook

2:53 pm

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

The fact of the matter is that we want to have the most accurate forecast possible; that is what Treasury recommended, and that is what we accept. The methodology that they have used in MYEFO actually confirms the fact that Labor left the legacy of increasing deficits to $123 billion, of increasing debt to $667 billion and of below-trend growth, and they also left a legacy of higher unemployment: 6¼ per cent. That is their legacy of unemployment. When they came to government they inherited an unemployment rate of around four per cent. When they left government, they handed to us and to the Australian people an unemployment rate approaching 6¼ per cent, with 200,000 more Australians unemployed than when Labor first came into office. Does that cause any embarrassment to you, Bill? Does that cause any embarrassment to the Leader of the Opposition or to the shadow and former Treasurer? There is no sense of shame in Labor.

Opposition members interjecting

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