Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Let me assure the Leader of the Opposition that this government will always properly cost policies and we will identify savings. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that, despite the carry-on on the other side, we have been offsetting new expenditure since 2009. I would remind the opposition of that.

What I would remind the opposition of, as well, is that it is very important, in this year of all years, that Australians are able to compare policies, their merits, their costs and where the savings are coming from. I am indebted to the shadow minister for finance for clarifying, in the Federation Chamber yesterday, on behalf of the opposition:

… every day we hear in the main chamber … and in the other place, cries of 'Where are your costings?'

And he says, on behalf of the opposition:

Of course the costings have been done.

Then he goes on to say:

What no-one knows, including us, is how any of these things can be funded.

I think it ought to be very clear to the shadow minister for finance and to the opposition generally that what we need to do—what everyone needs to do—in this fiscal environment is identify offsetting savings for new expenditure.

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