Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to comments the Prime Minister made in parliament yesterday that the $2.2 billion petrol tax increase is a budget repair measure. The government also claims that every dollar raised by the increased petrol tax will go towards roads. Can the Prime Minister confirm how much of the petrol tax collected will go to paying down debt?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you look at the figures on budget night, we reduced peak debt by some $300 billion, which is exactly what the people elected this government to do, to bring debt down. That is exactly what we are doing. They elected us to fix that debt and deficit disaster that members opposite left us that was going to saddle each and every Australian man, woman and child with $25,000 of debt. I am pleased with our budget, including the fuel excise indexation, because that is exactly what we need to get rid of the debt and deficit monkey.