Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, I do not know whether you bothered to listen to what I was saying. Our deficit is increasing at a rate far faster than in most other countries around the world.

We have a plan. The coalition have a plan for the economic future of this country. The plan is that we want to deliver jobs. We heard today in question time that the Victorian Labor government is prepared to waste in excess of $1 billion not to build a road.

Senator Conroy interjecting—

If that is sensible economic practice, Senator Conroy, I am afraid that I missed the economics lesson that you must have gone to when you were at school. All that the irresponsible behaviour in this space is going to do is push the issue to the next generation.

In the Intergenerational report that has just come down, we were given three quite clear scenarios. One was where the budget position was going under those opposite. It was going to end up with a Greece type outcome. That is something I do not think any of us would want for our country or our children. Another was that we could end up with a budget position which was what was proposed under last year's budget— (Time expired)