Mr CREAN (2:15 PM) —My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that his spending spree has cost the budget $5 billion in the six months between the budget, in May, and December of last year? Can he also confirm that his spending spree has cost the budget a further $3.5 billion in just the last three months? Prime Minister, what savings has the government made to fund this $8.5 billion spending spree?

Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister) —The member for Hotham asks the government a question about spending sprees! What I can confirm is that when you were last a member of a government you left this country $96 billion in debt. I can confirm that in the time we have been in government, which was eight years as of yesterday, we have delivered five surplus budgets. We delivered surpluses of $1.2 billion in 1997, $4.3 billion in 1998, $13 billion in 1999, $5.97 billion in 2001 and $7.5 billion in 2002-03. The reality is that, when it comes to spending sprees, Labor governments leave everybody in their wake. When they have an opportunity to actually do something, they outspend the biggest spenders of all time. They also leave to future generations enormous budget deficits.

The SPEAKER —I warn the member for Braddon!

Mr HOWARD —All the expenditure that this government has presided over has been directed towards strengthening the national security and defence of this country.

Mr Crean —Where are the savings?

Mr HOWARD —I wonder if the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Hotham think it was a bad thing to spend more money on national security. I wonder if they think it was a bad thing to spend money on Roads to Recovery. I wonder if they still regard that as a boondoggle. I wonder if the real reason why you are opposing the passage of the government's new safety net for Australian families with their health costs is because you are opposed to that additional expenditure or because you have some other priority. Your leader talks a lot about children; the greatest beneficiaries of the new safety net will be families with young children. The families of Australia that incur out-of-pocket expenses are the people who will be the greatest beneficiaries. Every day that the opposition delays that legislation in the Senate they are denying the interests of the children of Australia. It is one thing to extol the virtues of reading to children; I think it is even more important to extol the virtues of helping families with the health costs of their children. Those things are very important to battling Australian families. Can I finally say that the last people who have any credibility in this parliament—

Mr Crean —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order, and it goes to relevance. We know where the spending has been; where are—

The SPEAKER —The member for Hotham will resume his seat. There is no point of order.

Mr HOWARD —I simply conclude my answer by saying that there is a lot of rhetoric from the other side about the rights and interests of Australian children. If you care about them and their health costs, get out of the way and pass that safety net.