Post by Banker on Apr 24, 2012 6:29:11 GMT 7
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has conceded there would be painful cuts if the coalition won government, as he began selling his team's fiscal plan in the hope of an early election.
Mr Abbott is calling for an election in the wake of the scandal embroiling former Liberal MP-turned-independent Peter Slipper, saying the government had used bad judgment in appointing him as Speaker.
If Prime Minister Julia Gillard went to Yarralumla to advise the governor-general of an election the coalition would detail planned savings but not before, Mr Abbott said.
The coalition was providing a credible alternative to a government which was "spending like a drunken sailor, borrowing $100 million every day", he said.
Mr Abbott said the government had gone to the last election with $50 billion of savings identified and it would identify savings "as good as that going into the next election".
It was "absolutely right" the planned savings would be painful, he said.
"There is no such thing as a pain-free spending reduction."
Treasurer Wayne Swan challenged Mr Abbott to reveal exactly who would bear the pain.
"After he tonight expressly promised the Australian people that absolutely there will be pain if he becomes prime minister, Mr Abbott must spell out to Australian families and pensioners exactly how and why he will inflict pain on them - given he has promised a huge tax cut to Gina Rinehart and voted to protect taxpayer-funded subsidies for millionaires' private health insurance," a spokesman for Mr Swan said.
Mr Abbott said he was not planning to cut welfare benefits, adding that Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey had been making a point about France during a speech in London last week.
"He was making the obvious point that if you look at France, where social spending as a percentage of GDP is double than of Australia and which is now on the verge of crisis, the Eurozone is in a crisis ... we've got to do whatever we reasonably can to avoid ever getting in that position," he said.
Mr Abbott dismissed questions about the coalition's costings ahead of the 2010 election, saying Treasury itself had difficulty estimating the mining tax four times.
Treasury had looked at the coalition's costing and found $40 billion in properly calculated savings, however, he said.
The opposition leader said the coalition would continue to reject means testing for private health and the baby bonus, but vowed to go through with its promise to repeal the mining tax and the carbon tax, if elected.
"By abolishing the mining tax, the budget would be about $3 billion better off over the forward estimates."
Mr Abbott said he didn't like the increased superannuation levy for small business but the coalition would follow precedents established in previous governments and leave them in place.
"It's effectively an additional three per cent payroll tax which is going to be gradually ratcheted up," he said.
"I don't like this, I don't think this is the right time for it but there are a lot of bad things that this government is doing and we can't reverse all of them.
"We don't support those things; we will do our best to stop them."
Mr Abbott, who is often accused of negativity by Labor, said he had put forward some very positive policies lately, including a one-stop shop for environmental approvals, bipartisan support for the National Disabilities Insurance Scheme and a promise for a Productivity Commission review of childcare to make it flexible and effective.
news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/abbott-says-coalition-cuts-will-be-painful-20120423-1xhg9.html
Mr Abbott is calling for an election in the wake of the scandal embroiling former Liberal MP-turned-independent Peter Slipper, saying the government had used bad judgment in appointing him as Speaker.
If Prime Minister Julia Gillard went to Yarralumla to advise the governor-general of an election the coalition would detail planned savings but not before, Mr Abbott said.
The coalition was providing a credible alternative to a government which was "spending like a drunken sailor, borrowing $100 million every day", he said.
Mr Abbott said the government had gone to the last election with $50 billion of savings identified and it would identify savings "as good as that going into the next election".
It was "absolutely right" the planned savings would be painful, he said.
"There is no such thing as a pain-free spending reduction."
Treasurer Wayne Swan challenged Mr Abbott to reveal exactly who would bear the pain.
"After he tonight expressly promised the Australian people that absolutely there will be pain if he becomes prime minister, Mr Abbott must spell out to Australian families and pensioners exactly how and why he will inflict pain on them - given he has promised a huge tax cut to Gina Rinehart and voted to protect taxpayer-funded subsidies for millionaires' private health insurance," a spokesman for Mr Swan said.
Mr Abbott said he was not planning to cut welfare benefits, adding that Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey had been making a point about France during a speech in London last week.
"He was making the obvious point that if you look at France, where social spending as a percentage of GDP is double than of Australia and which is now on the verge of crisis, the Eurozone is in a crisis ... we've got to do whatever we reasonably can to avoid ever getting in that position," he said.
Mr Abbott dismissed questions about the coalition's costings ahead of the 2010 election, saying Treasury itself had difficulty estimating the mining tax four times.
Treasury had looked at the coalition's costing and found $40 billion in properly calculated savings, however, he said.
The opposition leader said the coalition would continue to reject means testing for private health and the baby bonus, but vowed to go through with its promise to repeal the mining tax and the carbon tax, if elected.
"By abolishing the mining tax, the budget would be about $3 billion better off over the forward estimates."
Mr Abbott said he didn't like the increased superannuation levy for small business but the coalition would follow precedents established in previous governments and leave them in place.
"It's effectively an additional three per cent payroll tax which is going to be gradually ratcheted up," he said.
"I don't like this, I don't think this is the right time for it but there are a lot of bad things that this government is doing and we can't reverse all of them.
"We don't support those things; we will do our best to stop them."
Mr Abbott, who is often accused of negativity by Labor, said he had put forward some very positive policies lately, including a one-stop shop for environmental approvals, bipartisan support for the National Disabilities Insurance Scheme and a promise for a Productivity Commission review of childcare to make it flexible and effective.
news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/abbott-says-coalition-cuts-will-be-painful-20120423-1xhg9.html