WONG: Thanks very much for coming. Today, Tony Abbott gave what he billed as an economic speech. And what did we see? What did Australians see? They saw more of the same from Tony Abbott. More slogans, more negativity. Empty words.
But the most important thing about the speech was what he didnt say. Because what he didnt tell Australians is how hes going to find $70 billion worth of cuts in the Federal budget. Because, thats the minimum he needs to find. $70 billion worth of cuts is the equivalent of Medicare payments for four years. But Tony Abbott doesnt want to tell Australians where hes going to find that.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Tony Abbott was boasting to everybody about the fact that he was going to be the next Prime Minister. And whats very clear from the way hes approaching this year, and previous years, is that he believes he can coast to that position without ever telling Australians what he really wants to do were he ever elected.
And whats clear from todays speech is more of the same, more negativity, more empty words, and a complete refusal to come clean with the Australian people about where his $70 billion worth of cuts will come from. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Four months is that long enough for him as hes suggested, for his audit committee to examine every government department for efficiency?
WONG: What weve seen from the Coalition lately is they know theyve got to do something when it comes to the budget and the economy. And their approach is to set up committees and send things off to reviews but never to tell people exactly how theyre going to find any money, how theyre going to fund their policies, and how theyre going to find $70 billion worth of cuts.
Lets remember, even some of his own backbenchers have been saying there isnt as much to cut in the public service as Joe Hockeys saying.
The reality is this: this Government has found over a $100 billion of cuts over a number of budgets. We understand the importance of being responsible. We understand that if we promise things to the Australian people weve got to find the money to fund them. Tony Abbott wants to make promises but he doesnt want to tell you what he has to cut to fund them.
JOURNALIST: Tony Abbott said 5000 staff from the Health Department bureaucracy need to go. Is there room for a staff cut at that level in the Health bureaucracy?
WONG: Im always interested when Tony and Joe just throw around numbers as if its easy to sack people, as if its easy to find the sorts of savings which are required. What Id say is this: understand how much money Tony Abbotts going to have to find to fill his $70 billion black hole. The $70 billion that his own shadow finance minister has said is the number. Its four years of Medicare payments to Australians. Its not a few Health bureaucrats. It is four years of medicare payments to Australians. It is two years of payments for the age pension. These are not small amounts.
And if theyre so easy to find, if these cuts are so easy to find, theres one question Tony should be asked: why can you never tell us what they are? Why can you never tell us what they are?
During the election the Coalition did put forward their policies. And I noticed in his speech today Tony Abbott says, well, you know its just government spin that we had a black hole. Do you know who found the black hole in the election costings of the Coalition? The Department of the Treasury and the Department of Finance the people who put the federal budget together. They are the people who found the black hole.
JOURNALIST: But Tony Abbott says theyre looking like an alternative government. Why is Labor focusing on criticising the Opposition for their negativity rather than doing a better job selling Government policies?
WONG: We are out there telling people what were doing. Were out there saying we want to implement the mining tax. We want to ensure wealthy mining companies pay a bit more tax, and we want to use that money to provide better superannuation for working Australians. We want to use that money to provide a tax cut for small business. We want to use that money to spread the benefits of the boom across the economy, something Tony Abbott opposes. So we are out there telling people the things that were doing and that we want to do.
But the point is this: Tony Abbott is telling Australians he wants an election, Tony Abbott is boasting that hes the next Prime Minister, but hes refusing to come clean on what he would do. And thats the reality of todays speech.
JOURNALIST: When you announced the increase in efficiency dividend you said there wouldnt be any need for forced redundancies. But the public sector union says 100 jobs are going from the Resources Department in the latest example of pressure of the efficiency dividend thats been put on the public service. Do you still maintain that the Commonwealth public service can cope with the increased efficiency dividend?
WONG: This is a very tough policy measure. We have said we want a big increase in the efficiency dividend this year because we think its important that the public sector contribute to bringing the budget back to surplus, and we need to find efficiencies. I make no bones about that. This has been a significant measure, and a measure that has meant departments will have to find their efficiencies.
JOURNALIST: One more thing
WONG: On something different?
JOURNALIST: Still on cuts.
WONG: Thats fine.
JOURNALIST: Are you doing the same thing as what Tony Abbott is suggesting when it comes to making budget cuts to find a surplus?
WONG: We not only have been doing that, weve demonstrated that in the budget figures that we put out. Weve found over $100 billion worth of savings. In the last mid-year review we found more savings. Weve offset new spending. Weve had to deal with a very substantial writedown in revenues, that is, Government getting less than was anticipated. Some $140 billion less in tax being paid to the Federal Government than we anticipated over the year since the global financial crisis. This is part of what we have to do.
The difference between the Government and Tony Abbott is that were upfront with people about what were doing we publish our figures in the budget papers. Tony Abbott wants to keep his $70 billion worth of cuts secret from the Australian people.
Thanks guys.
ENDS