Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Boswell, I acknowledge your longevity in this place, but I would this make this point in all seriousness: if senators on your side care about the budget surplus then you should be extremely concerned about the position that this Leader of the Opposition is taking. He is seeking to oppose responsible savings measures put forward by this government to return the budget to surplus—measures which you previously have voted for, such as those in relation to family tax benefits, without putting forward your own savings measures. It is not a responsible thing, Senator Boswell, for the conservative party in this place to be practising this sort of fiscal recklessness.