There is something in this Budget for everyone, but because capacity to engage in social life is uneven, improving that capacity will require more to be spent on those who have been excluded. I have talked about enabling people to participate in a vibrant social democracy. That is a strand that runs through the broader design and particular detail of this Budget. We must acknowledge, though, that participation, to be effective, has to be sustainable. The Government has set itself conservative fiscal targets and established tight financial disciplines.
More work needs to be done to get full value for the public dollar.
That aside, the Government is determined to maintain positive operating balances, on average, over the economic cycle. The money we are spending is money we have raised. We are not raiding the piggy bank or mortgaging the future. There is one regret. I would dearly have liked to have spent more on many deserving projects that would have contributed to our goals.