Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister Assisting for Deregulation. Why is it important to have a credible plan for managing the economy and supporting hardworking Australian families?

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Capricornia for her question. I am proud to be a part of a government that is supporting hardworking Australian families, and I know the member for Capricornia feels the same way. One of the best things we can do to support families is to have a strong economy. The unemployment figures today, showing that unemployment in Australia is at 4.9 per cent, are further evidence of how strong the Australian economy is.

But of course we understand that there are some families who are doing it tough. That is why in the budget that we have handed down we have provided assistance to working families. We have provided that assistance in the form of the schoolkids bonus but also in the form of additional payments to families. In addition to that, by returning the budget to surplus we know that we are giving the Reserve Bank the room that it needs to cut interest rates if that is what it thinks is appropriate—and, of course, that is important for Australian families. That is what this government believes managing the economy is about. It is about low unemployment, low interest rates and providing assistance to hardworking Australian families.

But of course the opposition do not care about Australian families. We saw that last night when we came forward with a plan to provide assistance to hardworking Australian families and they opposed it. They opposed it not once, not twice, but six times. Six times they opposed our plan, and they opposed it on the basis that the Leader of the Opposition said that families could not be trusted to manage their own budgets. Well, if Australian families cannot be trusted to manage their own budgets, why should Australian families trust the Leader of the Opposition to manage the nation's budget—and why should they do that when he has got a $70 billion budget crater and he has no plans to fill it? That is why he has no economic credibility.

Those on the other side are very concerned about the lack of credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. That is why I was not surprised to see reports in the papers today that there is a cunning and devious plan to parachute Peter Costello back into parliament. They figure that is about the only way they might be able to give their economic leadership a little bit of credibility.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Assistant Treasurer will return to the question.

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, it looks as though what was reported might not be happening—we will not be getting Abbott and Costello; we are just stuck with the Three Stooges.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Previously that phrase has been deemed unparliamentary and I ask that he withdraw.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is correct. That has been ruled as out of order in this context, and I will ask the Assistant Treasurer to withdraw.

Opposition members interjecting—

Everybody on that side might walk the plank very quickly if they do not show some respect to the chair. The Assistant Treasurer has the call.

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Assistant Treasurer.

Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Further to the answer from the Assistant Treasurer, I ask why it is important to make sure that these plans that he described are transparent and properly costed.

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I once more thank the member for Capricornia. The government has laid out clear and costed plans, responsible plans, to return the budget to surplus—and that is out there for all to see. But of course tonight it will be the Leader of the Opposition's opportunity to come forward and show us exactly how he intends to fill his $70 billion budget crater. It will be interesting to watch, because it really has been something in the nature of slapstick that we have seen.

The last time we saw the Leader of the Opposition go to an election and attempt to cost his policies, we saw him go to an election with an $11 billion black hole. But not only did he go to the election with an $11 billion black hole, he also went with a set of costings that had been costed by a dodgy audit. It was a dodgy audit. The irresponsible spending that we have seen from the opposition and their failure to come up with a credible plan to cost their policies mean that this evening the Leader of the Opposition will have to either come forward and acknowledge that he does not have the money to deliver the plans that he says he is committed to or come clean with the Australian people about exactly which payments and which services he intends to cut. If he does not announce tonight which ones he is going to cut then the Australian people will have to assume— (Time expired)