Siewert, Sen Rachel

Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia—Australian Greens Whip) (14:14): My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to the government's failure to address the budget revenue issues by ending unfair tax breaks that benefit the very wealthy, such as negative gearing, superannuation tax concessions and the capital gains tax exemption. I also refer to recent reports that indicate that 10 to 20 per cent of young people sometimes report going to bed hungry and that 17.7 per cent of children live below the poverty line. Given its failure on the revenue side, how does the government plan to cut expenditure? Is it planning to further cut the social safety net and, if so, how?