Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. I refer the minister to Mr Rudd's comments last night about strong proven economic leadership. Does Mr Rudd describe $129 billion in accumulated deficit on his first watch as Prime Minister, including the two biggest budget deficits ever, as strong proven national economic leadership? Why should the Australian people trust Mr Rudd when it comes to the economy when he broke his promise to deliver budget surpluses, delivering debt and consecutive deficits instead, despite having benefited from the best terms of trade in 140 years and many new taxes, having introduced Labor's failed mining tax and the job-destroying Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which, of course, eventually morphed into the world's biggest carbon tax?