TREASURER:
Wherever you are in Australia today, it might be on the tram, the train or the bus, you might be driving on one of our rural roads. Be onsite already. Getting your kids off to school. Caring for an elderly parent, and you've exchanged that smile this morning that's so special. Wherever you are today in Australia, the economy we all will live in in this country over the next ten years will determine so much for our lives. The choices we have. The job market our kids walk into, you walk into. The retirement you have. The opportunities you want for your family. The care that you can provide to those you love. And your mates. The economy, the strength of that economy, that we will live in, will determine so many things. The plan for a stronger economy that I'll be announcing tonight is about improving the opportunities for all Australians to live in a stronger economy. It's a plan for lower taxes and for reducing the pressure on households. It's a plan to back business to create more jobs. As you know, more than 1,000 jobs created every day in the past year. It's a plan to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on every day. It's a plan to keep Australians safe as Coalition governments know how to do. And it's a plan, as always, that the Government lives within its means. That's our plan for a stronger economy. So Australians can live in a stronger economy and have the choices and the future that they want, they deserve, they work hard for, and we'll back them and deliver.
QUESTION:
Treasurer, you've driven yourself here today, is that you leading from the front telling Australians that it is time that everyone pitches in and does some heavy lifting?
TREASURER:
I always drive in.
QUESTION:
Peter Costello has had a bit of a crack at you Treasurer, is he right? Will most Australians be dead before the debt is paid off?
TREASURER:
I encourage my friend and mentor to tune in tonight and I think he'll be pleased with what he sees.
QUESTION:
How long will it take to pay off the net debt Treasurer?
TREASURER:
The Budget is at 7.30pm tonight, all of it will be set out.
QUESTION:
What sort of surplus can we be expecting, will it be wafer thin? Or will it be reasonable?
TREASURER:
You don't have long to wait.
QUESTION:
Wouldn't it be easier to save the tax cuts Australians are going to get of about $10 a week and instead…
TREASURER:
Again, that's tonight.
QUESTION:
So, what can families look forward to Treasurer?
TREASURER:
A stronger economy from a Government that knows how to deliver a stronger economy. A Government that knows how to create the right conditions to create jobs. A Government that knows how to get people off welfare and into work. A Government that knows how a strong economy is what actually pays for the essential services that Australians rely on. That's what they can expect from the Turnbull Government. That's what they've been getting from the Turnbull Government. This is a Government that's keeping its commitments now and into the future, it's a busy day and I'll catch you all later tonight.