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

We now know why the shadow Treasurer did not ask this question. It is because the shadow Treasurer has been going around the country saying that there are 20,000 too many public servants in Australia and he is going to take the axe to those public servants. So he has not had the guts to front up and ask the question. He has had to throw it to the Manager of Opposition Business. But we on this side of the House, as I said before, are committed to responsible fiscal policy and to making the savings to put in place the priorities that we have, particularly in health and education.

We have found savings over five budgets—$100 billion during our first four and $33 billion during our last savings exercise. We have found efficiencies in the public sector. The one thing we have not been doing is taking a big axe to jobs like those over there—

Mr Simpkins interjecting—

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