Chris Bowen McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
2:13 pm
My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, how much has revenue fallen between the coalition's 2014 and 2015 budgets?
Mr Husic interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Chifley will cease interjecting.
Mr Champion interjecting—
The member for Wakefield is warned.
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer
The government is committed to strong economic management, and strong management of our budget. In dealing with the challenges we face from time to time—
Mr Dreyfus interjecting—
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer
there are measures that have to be added to the budget which I know those on the opposite side of the House would agree have to be included in our forward estimates and our budget expenditure for this year. And they would know that since the last budget—
Ms Plibersek interjecting—
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer
which was forecasting a rate of expenditure of 25.9 per cent of GDP, the budget now includes—has had added to it—Roads to Recovery funding, the Syrian humanitarian crisis response and also the delay of the higher education reforms.
Ms Macklin interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
As soon as the member for Jagajaga is ready I will recognise the member for Watson.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Just to give him a chance to look it up.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Yes, there is.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
The point of order is on direct relevance. 'Revenue' is about the money coming in, 'expenditure' is—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Watson will resume his seat. The member for Watson does not have the call. The Treasurer has the call.
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer
The opportunity I was giving those opposite was this: to put the budget into balance you need to ensure that your expenditure—are you with me?—is less than your revenue.
Opposition members interjecting—
Those opposite believe the way to balance the budget is to increase your revenue so that it is higher than your expenditure. That is why those opposite, when they have the opportunity, are constantly chasing higher expenditure with higher taxes.
Revenue this year is forecast to be 24 per cent of GDP, and currently expenditure as a percentage of GDP is higher than that. But what we are doing with our budget is we are increasing the strength of the budget by 0.5 per cent of GDP every single year. That is the pathway to surplus: ensuring that you get your expenditure under control and that your revenue grows with the strength of the economy, not by sucking more taxes out of Australians taxpayers' pockets to ensure that they can chase the ever increasing spending spiral of those opposite. This government is focused on getting expenditure under control and ensuring that we grow receipts based on a strong economy, not on the taxing appetites of those opposite.
Chris Bowen McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
Given the Treasurer did not know the answer, I seek leave to table the answer, which is $52 billion from the budget—the government's document. I seek leave to table it.
Mr Pyne interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
The Leader of the House will cease interjecting. I have made it clear before that members are not going to table documents that are already documents of the parliament.