Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I indicated at the outset of my remarks that the government will oppose the amendments which have been moved by the Labor Party. It is almost as if the Labor Party live in a parallel universe. In fact, they do. The member for Hotham talked about the big increases under Labor. She did not mention the biggest deficits and the biggest debts that any government had left a successive government in Australia. She said that the budget was left in shipshape. If this was a budget left in shipshape, I would hate to see one that was sinking—$123 billion of accumulated deficits and a $667 billion trajectory of Commonwealth debt is hardly shipshape. If the budget was shipshape then we would not be in this regrettable situation that we are at the present time.

The member for Hotham also talked about youth homelessness. Which was the government that did not continue the funding for youth homelessness and homelessness programs except for another 12 months? It was the Labor Party when they were in government. So the contributions from the Labor Party in relation to these matters are totally delusional. The Labor Party managed the trifecta. I know the Leader of the Opposition likes a punt now and again, but what was the Labor Party's trifecta? First it was deception in terms of saying year after year that they were going to deliver a surplus and never did. The second leg of the trifecta was debt, $667 billion the trajectory for the Commonwealth debt.

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

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