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May 13th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Updated
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan will take an extraordinary step in tonight’s budget, setting out a 10-year plan to get Australia’s finances back into the black.
Mr Swan will reveal a budget deficit, but then set out the pathway he would take to get back into surplus if Labor wins the September 14 election.
The DisabilityCare scheme and the Gonski school funding plan will be budget centrepieces.
Mr Swan will outline a plan to fund them for the next decade, which he says means significant savings on top of the cuts already revealed.
However, the Treasurer will argue they are responsible cuts, and insists the Government will not cut to the bone and slow the economy.
Infrastructure is the other element at the heart of tonight’s budget – emphasising job creation then a longer term boost to productivity from better road, rail and freight facilities.
Mr Swan will also outline smart investments with job creation during the construction phase and a boost to productivity on completion.
On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr said Australia would delay a commitment to meet an increased aid budget equal 0.5 per cent of gross national income.
The so-called ‘millennium goal’ – initially supposed to be attained in the 2015-16 financial year – has been pushed back to the 2017-18 financial year.
“While that’s disappointing, it simply reflects the reality that you can’t borrow money to spend on aid,” Senator Carr said.
Other cuts and savings include the scrapping of a boost promised for family payments and a $580 million cut to the public service, which the ABC understands includes some jobs losses.
Ahead of the budget’s delivery, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott attacked government spending, saying government advertising, staff payouts, travel for the Foreign Minister and market research should be slashed.
“Obviously there is a certain amount of money which has to be spent in this area,” Mr Abbott said.
“But we certainly don’t believe that it needs to be as profligate as this Government has been.
“Our full list of expenditure – the spends and the saves – will be released in good time before the next election.”
Mr Swan will deliver his sixth budget in front of a Labor team with prominent figures like Simon Crean and Martin Ferguson on the backbench following the leadership turmoil of the last parliamentary sitting day in March.
Video: Overseas aid has become another victim of budget cuts with Labor’s boost deferred.(Lateline)
Topics:
budget,
government-and-politics,
federal-parliament,
parliament,
federal-government,
australia
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Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-14/swan-to-reveal-labors-ten-year-budget-plan/4687072
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