Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I stand by the budget and I stand by the government's commitment on the surplus. Let us be very clear about that because there is a very clear contrast. We on this side of the House have a commitment to a set of strict fiscal rules, and they on that side of the House have a $70 billion black hole. The contrast on fiscal policy could not be clearer. We on this side of the House understand the importance of putting in place strict fiscal policy. When we moved to stimulate our economy in 2009 we outlined a very clear and consistent set of fiscal rules, and we have been applying those fiscal rules in a clear and consistent way. In fact, we went through the whole election campaign last year and did not spend an extra dollar, but what we found out after that campaign was that there was a $10 billion hole in the estimates of the opposition.

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