Page 2968 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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national budget that we are seeing. It is the disaster that has been wreaked by Labor, with their Green mates, on the national budget that is causing this problem, which is causing the job cuts impacting on Canberra families right now. We need to identify who is responsible. Who is responsible? Who has been in government for the last six years?
The reality is that after 7 September whoever are in government are going to face some tough economic times, some tough decisions. That is endorsed by Mr Barr, who has said that. The federal budget is experiencing unprecedented debt and deficit after years of mismanagement by Labor and the Greens.
Since 2007, when the federal Labor government came into government, all we have seen is deficits. In fact, all we have seen for the last few decades is deficits. In fact, there are people in parliaments who have not seen a Labor Party surplus in their lifetime. As a result of that, the total gross debt is likely to reach about $300 billion in the forward estimates. We have seen five deficits; we have seen record debt of $192 billion; and there is no credible path back to surplus.
Mr Barr interjecting—
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Barr! Could you sit down, please, Mr Hanson?
MR HANSON: Could you stop the clock please, Madam Deputy Speaker?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes. Mr Barr and Mr Doszpot, you are not having a conversation across the chamber. You will have a chance to speak later. Mr Hanson has the floor.
MR HANSON: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Well might Mr Barr interject; he is very uncomfortable. The truth is that Labor was out there saying—remember?—that there was going to be a surplus. In 2012-13 there was going to be a surplus—“come hell or high water” was the quote. That was asserted over 200 times. I remember getting stuff in my mailbox. I cannot remember whether it was Gai Brodtmann or whether it was Senator Lundy who said that Labor had delivered a surplus.
Mr Coe: Of lies.
MR HANSON: Yes, a surplus of mistruths. What we now know is that that simply was not true. They had not delivered a surplus. What we are seeing are deficits. What is the deficit planned for the coming year? $30 billion now? That is the truth.
At every step of the way, the deficit—the debt, the pressure on our economy—has been supported and championed by their mates the Greens, who want a bob each way. They want a bob each way, don’t they? They want to say: “Spend all the money. Rack up the debt. Rack up the deficit.” But when the Labor Party or the Liberal Party talk about reducing the size of the public service, the Greens say, “No, that is not fair.” It is, one could argue, somewhat hypocritical.
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