Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I think we have been extremely clear saying that this is a tough budget because of the mess the previous Labor government left us. If the previous Labor government had not wasted so much money, if the previous Labor government had not left us with a trajectory of $667 billion worth of debt, if the previous Labor government had not left us an interest bill of over $30 million a day, then we would not have had to make the tough decisions and the $12 billion a year we are paying on the interest on the previous Labor government's debt could have funded a new teaching hospital in every capital city around this country. That is why it is a tough budget. We are making the right decisions so that we will have a sustainable system for the country in future.