Sitting liberal Louise Marcus ist still MIA, however, here is the letter from Tony Abbott: Dear Mr Krause, Thank you for your letter to the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Tony Abbott MHR dated 27 June 2013 regarding potential Commonwealth funding for Upper Blue Mountains Trail beside Rail. Mr Abbott has asked me to respond on his behalf. The Coalition welcomes proposals that promote a more productive and stronger economy. I will ensure that this proposal is considered through our internal policy development process. However, I have to be upfront about the challenges the federal Budget faces after five years of Labor Government. As you may recall, the Howard Government inherited a $10 billion Budget black hole and turned it into a $20 bililon a year Budget surplus. We inherited $96 billion hole worth of net Commonwealth debt and turned it into $70 billion worth of net Commonwealth assets. By contrast, the current Government turned a $20 billion surplus into deficits averaging $40 billion-plus every year. They took $70 billion of assets and turned it into a total gross debt set to breach the $300 billion debt ceiling in coming years. Peter Costello’s last four budgets produced the biggest surpluses in Australia’s history. Treasurer Wayne Swan’s first five budgets were the five biggest deficits in Australian history. This makes it difficult for a fiscally responsible government to make funding commitments to the many worthwhile projects throughout Australia. If Labor had been more prudent and fiscally responsible, then projects such as Upper Blue Mountains Trail beside Rail and broader policy programmes could be more readily and immediately addressed. This year there will be a Federal election. All elections are important but we believe this election will be one of the most important in generations. There will be a clear choice between the Coalition’s positive plans for Australia and Labor’s continued incompetence and untrustworthiness. As we move closer to the election on 14 September 2013, the Coalition will release further policies that will deliver our plan for a strong and prosperous economy and a safe and secure Australia. I have enclosed Mr Abbott’s recent Reply to the Budget for your information. You may also be interested in reading Our Plan – Real Solutions for all Australians which is available at liberal.org.au/real-solutions. I also invite you to stay up to date with Coalition news and policy announcements via the Liberal Party website liberal.org.au and to keep in touch via Mr Abbott’s personal website tonyabbott.au. Yours sincerely Creina Chapman Senior Advisor
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 03:52:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015