Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The very short answer is that there will be no cuts to the overall expenditure in the portfolio, but we did say that we would always look to spend those rare dollars more efficiently to achieve a better outcome for the Australian people, and we have said the same in health. Does that mean that we have to continue with schemes that, regrettably, we can no longer afford because of the huge debt legacy left by Labor? Regrettably, that is part of the consequence of the six years of Labor and, in particular, the last three years of the Labor-Green government. There are consequences of economic mismanagement. The government have said that education will be quarantined, but we may well rejig money within the portfolios to ensure that the money, the scarce dollars that are about, are better focused to get a better outcome for the people of Australia.