David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to rise to contribute to this matter of public importance. The matter before the House goes to the question of the government's economic management. I am very proud to stand here just the day after the Treasurer handed down a budget that will return to surplus. We all know that there is no greater symbol of the strength of an economy than being able to demonstrate that a budget is returning to surplus. That is something that we are very proud of.

It is interesting that the member for North Sydney's contribution today had a lot of huff and puff and the usual bluster that you get from him. It is his modus operandi. But when it came to actually putting some facts on the table, there was not a lot happening. He squibbed the central challenge that the coalition have to face on the question of a surplus because the central question that has to be answered by those opposite is whether or not they are committed to a surplus. That is the point that he did not address. It is an important point, a point whose answer I believe the Australian people have a great and strong interest in knowing. Are the coalition committed to a return to surplus?

An opposition member: Well why?

I hear the member opposite say, 'Well why?' Perhaps his colleagues can take him aside and give him a lecture in economics 101. I am sure the member for Dunkley would be able to simplify economic principles in such a way as to explain to the member opposite the importance of returning the budget to surplus.

But on this question of a return to surplus, those opposite have been a bit shifty and very inconsistent. Let us have a look at some of the commentary that we have seen from them. When asked this question of whether or not the coalition would return the budget to surplus, the member for Goldstein—who is with us in the chamber—said, 'Well, it just depends.' So there we have it from the member for Goldstein. It just depends. When the member for North Sydney—who has just left the chamber—was asked the question, he said, 'Maybe.' Then when the Leader of the Opposition was asked the question, he said, 'Well ,we will do it as quickly as possible.' But then when Senator Abetz was asked the question, he said, 'Look, we're not in the business of making extravagant promises.'

The promise that Senator Abetz says is extravagant is exactly what this government has delivered—a surplus budget. We will return the budget to surplus. We have done that in the budget was handed down. But we have heard the various mixed messages from those opposite on this question of whether or not they are committed to returning the budget to surplus.

See this speech in context