Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister guarantee not to increase the government debt to pay for the government's big new spending promises on an NDIS, submarines and asylum seekers? Will the Prime Minister give that guarantee to the Australian people now?

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

I have to say I am admiring of the member for North Sydney's gumption. He obviously thinks the best means of defence is attack. This government will bring the budget to surplus. The opposition has $70 billion unaccounted for. The shadow finance minister has acknowledged that on TV, and the way they will find that is by cutting health and education—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The point of order is relevance. I asked the Prime Minister: will she guarantee that she will not increase government debt to pay for her bills?

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

The Prime Minister has just commenced her answer. I will listen carefully.

Mrs Mirabella interjecting—

The member for Indi is now pushing the envelope.

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

We will fund our Labor agenda by finding offsetting savings and making the necessary arrangements in the government's budget, as we have shown our ability to do, and we will bring the budget to surplus. We will do those things just as we have done. We found $100 billion of savings to fund key aspects of our agenda. We will continue to work to manage the government's budget responsibly at every step of the way and to bring the budget to surplus. The risk to the budget, of course, is the plans of the Leader of the Opposition—the $70 billion that he intends to cut out of schools, cut out of health, cut out of support to families. This week we have had revealed to us one of the big targets, and that is state schools.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order. She is defying your ruling. You asked her to be directly relevant and it was a very specific question.

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

I actually stated I would listen carefully to the Prime Minister's answer as she had only just commenced. It is for the chair to determine relevancy or not.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Deputy Speaker: under the standing order which requires that people be referred to according to their titles, 'Prime Minister' is the title.

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

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Let me say to the member for North Sydney again: next time he wants to ask a question like this, bring in what shows where your $70 billion worth of cuts are going to fall. Bring in how much money is going to be cut out of each public school.

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

The Prime Minister will return to the question before the chair.

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

The Australian people are entitled to know that. What they will know from us is we will manage the budget responsibly.