TONY Abbott has recommitted a Coalition government to bringing in surpluses in its first three budgets — despite insisting the government will not be able to deliver one this financial year.
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Mr Abbott said there was further evidence that the government was ''never ever'' going to deliver even a ''dishonest surplus'', let alone an honest one.
This followed Deloitte Access saying in its latest budget update that without further policy changes the government's projected 2012-13 surplus was turning into a deficit of $4.2 billion. The recent budget update predicts a $1.1 billion surplus for 2012-13, and a $2.2 billion surplus for 2013-14.
Asked whether the opposition was still committed to its promise to have surpluses in each of the first three Coalition budgets if it won government, Mr Abbott said: ''Yes — we will do better, significantly better than the government''.
It would be able to do this by getting government spending under control and productivity up, to achieve stronger economic growth, he said.
''I know the headline figures haven't looked too bad for this government but when you actually look behind the headline figures, and look at GDP per head, it's been just a whisker over half a per cent under this government whereas it was about two and a quarter per cent over the eleven and a half years of the Howard government.''
Mr Abbott agreed that the necessary changes would take time but ''we will do better than this government from day one''.
In February Mr Abbott said ''our commitment is to have a budget surplus in year one and subsequently'', adding that ''we can do that based on current Treasury figures''.
Despite the Deloitte Access figuring, Trade Minister Craig Emerson said ''a surplus is on track''. He said the government stood by the update projection.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her ministers have repeatedly refused to guarantee that the surplus projected in the mid year review — which was revised down from the $1.5 billion projected in the budget — will be delivered.