Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Prime Minister) (14:09): The Treasurer has dealt with that matter. Ms King interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Ballarat is not in her seat and may not interject at all. Mr ABBOTT: I have dealt with that matter and obviously I stand by my words, and the Treasurer stands by the explanation and the apology that he gave at the time. This so-called ambush is precisely the policy that was introduced by the Hawke government. What does it say about the contemporary Labor Party that they are always thinking about short-term politics and not about the long-term national interest? What does it say about the contemporary Labor Party when, having created this debt and deficit disaster, they are wilfully in denial about what they have done and they are refusing to engage constructively in solving the problem? Mr Dreyfus interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Isaacs will desist. Mr ABBOTT: They were wreckers in government and now they are determined to be wreckers in opposition too. We stand by our budget measures. Our budget measures are necessary changes to address the debt and deficit disaster that the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues have created.