Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Senator for her very important question. There are few more important issues currently before this parliament, particularly the Senate, than the issue of budget responsibility and fiscal discipline, particularly given the uncertain international economic times that we are witnessing at the present time. The government’s first budget is one built on delivering on our commitments to the Australian people. The Labor Party put forward a comprehensive set of commitments and promises that a Rudd Labor government would be economically and fiscally responsible and fiscally conservative. We gave those commitments before the election and we are going to deliver on it as outlined in the budget. The Rudd government’s first budget is about repairing the legacy of overspending left to us by the previous Liberal government.