Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann. Will the federal budget be delivered on 10 May 2016?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the Turnbull government's tax policy be announced on 10 May 2016?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can confirm for the Senate that this year's budget, like every budget in the past, will include the government's plan for stronger growth and more jobs to help the Australian people through the transition from resource investment and construction driven growth to broader drivers of economic activity and growth.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. Senator Moore?

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. It is on direct relevance. Maybe the minister is getting to it, but the particular question was around tax policy.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Moore. I will allow the minister to continue. He has been answering the question.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The problem for the Labor Party is that they are so juvenile. They think they can ask their student-politicky-type questions day in, day out and that somehow they are going to have a 'gotcher' moment here. Let me confirm again: every budget, from time immemorial, has got measures on the revenue side of the budget and measures on the expenditure side of the budget. Since we have been the government, we have been working to get spending growth under control, to get the unsustainable spending growth trajectory that we inherited from Labor under control, and we have been working to make our tax system more growth-friendly. That is why in last year's budget we delivered tax cuts for small business. That is why in previous budgets— (Time expired)

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the Turnbull government provide this parliament, and in particular the Senate, with the opportunity to properly consider the 2016 budget before the election?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I look forward to the scrutiny by the parliament of the government's budget and our plan for stronger growth and more jobs over the next four years. Indeed, I look forward to the scrutiny by the Australian people of our plan for stronger growth and more jobs, as opposed to Labor's $50 billion budget black hole, as opposed to Labor's unfunded spending promises. On our side, there will be a team of people working to help the Australian economy to successfully transition—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. Point of order, Senator Cameron?

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The issue was about appropriate time for scrutiny. The 2014-15 budget cut pensions. They—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order, Senator Cameron. Resume your seat. The minister has been directly relevant and he answered the question in the first 15 seconds of his answer. Minister, you have the call.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the lead-up to the next election, whenever that will be, the Australian people will have a clear choice between our team, with a plan to assist the Australian economy to successfully transition from resource investment and construction driven growth to broader drivers of economic activity and growth, and, on the other side, a team that is just all about more taxes, more spending, more debt and, of course, who have not learned from their past mistakes.