Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker Andrews. It is nice to see you in that chair as opposed to in a helicopter. I would like to be in this place like any member of parliament and happily give away money. No member of parliament really comes to the House and wants to be the person who has to say no.

Ms Hall interjecting—

Let me continue. But my curse, I suppose, is that I do understand economics and I understand that you actually have to have a strong economy in order to attract and be able to build a great society.

Ms Hall interjecting—

In having a strong economy, you have to be able to afford a certain number of things, and how you do it is quite challenging. I hear someone across the chamber here interjecting, but what I can say is this: we need to find the balance between what we invest in and what we spend, and this has been the challenge in this budget. In this budget, we have found some difficult choices.

It needs to be said that for a very long time we have not adjusted the structural flaws in the budget. We have been spending more as a country than we have been getting in in income tax, and that leaves us with two choices. It leaves us with the choice of putting taxes up or finding some savings. We had to find that balance. In working through that balance, there have been some challenges. But I believe we have actually met the challenge very well.

Ms Hall interjecting—

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