Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. I refer to the minister’s remarks yesterday where he observed that real growth in expenditure next year is estimated at 1.1 per cent per annum which he said was lower than in recent years. Will the minister confirm, however, that in the following year, 2009-10, expenditure is forecast to grow in real terms by four per cent, if adjusted by the CPI, and by 5½ per cent if adjusted by reference to the non-farm GDP deflator, which is higher than in all but one of the Costello budget years? Hasn’t the government just pushed its expenditure out for 12 months to make its first budget look good?

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