Labor Minister Bill Shorten has gone head-to-head with Bridget McKenzie in a bizarre televised debate over cost-of-living and budget spending.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down his mid-year budget on Wednesday, announcing $10bn in cuts and spending changes to curb high inflation and living pressures.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said federal Labor’s spending plan would take major pressure off government finances
“We have done a good job. Katy Gallagher and Jim Chalmers – we will get more details tomorrow when Jim speaks – but about $50 billion in wasteful government spending has been reduced,” Mr Shorten said on Tuesday.
Taking aim at the treasurer, Senator McKenzie said Dr Chalmers was “good at the talk” but could not translate his ideas to curb the nation’s ongoing cost of living crisis.
“He is good at the talk. Last year he wrote a good essay about shaping capitalism. Fantastic. I hope he takes action this summer and makes some decisions instead of putting them on paper,” she said.
“Thank you very much, Bridget. I think what Jim, the whole government is doing at the moment, is reducing the amount of government debt, not the government spending – that helps the economy,” Mr Shorten replied.
“The stats don’t lie. The budget papers don’t lie,” Senator McKenzie fired back.
“You are just jealous that we are doing what you guys couldn’t,” Mr Shorten said.
“You’re just jealous, you’re just jealous.”
“What about tax, Bill? Come on. You have increased spending. The budget papers don’t lie. I hope you make the tough decisions instead of paying off premiers,” Senator McKenzie argued back.
“I hope you have a nice Christmas,” Mr Shorten said.
Labor’s mid-year budget update will cover new spending, such as the federal government’s response to the robodebt royal commission and the $1.5bn budget hit from wrapping up the pandemic event visa.
The mid-year update is expected to reveal a considerably improved budget bottom line than what was previously predicted in May