Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I'm asked about the differences between the two approaches. We're providing more relief, and, because we've got a much better budget position than those opposite took to the election, we're providing it in a more responsible way. We've found $114 billion worth of offsets in less than four years which is the kind of responsible economic management which would be unrecognisable to those opposite. When it comes to additional savings in the budget—we're at the end of March now, and the budget is in the second week of May—we'll continue to work through all of those decisions and deliberations in the considered, methodical and decisive way that has been the hallmark of the responsible economic management under this government for some years.

What this is really about—this is about providing temporary and timely and responsible cost-of-living relief to people who are doing it tough. We know that this war in the Middle East is having extreme consequences for the global economy, and Australians are paying a hefty price for that at the bowser. We're doing what this government always does which is to try and help where we can, to try and provide cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way that we can. If those opposite really cared about cost-of-living relief, they wouldn't have opposed our tax cuts or said that they'd repeal them if they won the election.

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