HON. J. B.

HOCKEY
Treasurer
SENATOR THE HON. MATHIAS CORMANN
Minister for Finance
Acting Assistant Treasurer
Thursday, 25 September 2014
2013-14 FINAL BUDGET OUTCOME
The Final Budget Outcome (FBO) for the 2013-14 financial year is a budget report card on the
previous Governments irresponsible fiscal and economic management.
Despite Labor initially forecasting a surplus of $5.4 billion for the 2013-14 financial year, and
keeping this forecast surplus for eight successive budget updates, todays FBO confirms a
$48.5 billion deficit.
This is more than a $30 billion deterioration in the year since former Treasurer Wayne Swan
delivered his final Budget.
This FBO confirms Labor delivered six successive deficits totalling $240 billion with many more
to come. Including 2013-14, Labor left the Government with future deficits of $123 billion over
the forward estimates to 30 June 2017.
If no policy action was taken to repair the budget position the Government inherited, gross debt
would have spiralled to $667 billion over the medium term and continued to grow. It is the
equivalent of $25,000 for every Australian. This is Labors legacy of debt for all Australians.
In the 2013-14 Budget, Labor formally gave up on their farce of delivering a budget surplus in
2012-13. At that time they wrote down receipts by $17 billion for the 2013-14 financial year
alone, and more than $60 billion over the forward estimates.
On the eve of the 2013 Federal Election, then Treasurer Chris Bowen had to go even further in
his 2013 Economic Statement, by writing down receipts a further $7.8 billion for 2013-14 and
over $33 billion across the then forward estimates.
The Government inherited a shambles of a Budget, a weakening economy and rising
unemployment. Off the back of a weaker economy, receipts had to be written down further to a
more accurate number in the 2013-14 MYEFO, and have since broadly stabilised.
The Government had to take immediate action to address a number of serious unresolved
issues inherited from Labor. This includes:

Injecting $8.8 billion to restore the Reserve Bank of Australias capital buffer after
Labor ripped out $5.2 billion in dividends in 2009-10.

Providing $571 million in 2013-14, and $2 billion over the forward estimates, to fix
Labors funding shortfall for offshore processing of illegal maritime arrivals.

Funding public service agencies to meet the cost of Labors unfunded

redundancies arising from their hidden job cuts.

Clearing 96 announced but unlegislated tax and superannuation measures that

included measures announced to boost the budget bottom line, even though
these measures could never be delivered or would damage the economy.

Labor left Australia with no plan to fund the future and address their unsustainable spending
trajectory over the medium term.
The Government is implementing an economic action strategy to repair the Budget and
strengthen our nations finances.
We are making spending sustainable, delivering record infrastructure investment, creating new
jobs and bringing the Budget back to surplus over the medium term.
The Government has been taking responsible and methodical action to clean up Labors debt
and deficit disaster, and get the Budget back under control.