Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Finance and Deregulation) (14:01): I can confirm the figures which are set out in the government's budget papers and I can also confirm that over some five budgets we have experienced a revenue write-down of $150 billion. Notwithstanding that, the Treasurer has delivered a budget which will return the budget to surplus on time as promised. The difference between this side of politics and that is a number of things. One is our values. We are delivering for low-income and middle-income Australians. They are standing up for wealthy miners. Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, resume your seat. Order on both sides! Minister, continue. Senator WONG: The other thing I can confirm is that yet again the coalition demonstrate that they keep forgetting about a thing called the global financial crisis—something that has plunged so many advanced economies into— Senator Brandis: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. You should ask the minister to be directly relevant to the question. The question asked the minister to confirm whether certain figures were true. She has responded by saying that the figures in the budget papers are accurate. She has now gone on to engage in her usual ritualised abuse of the opposition. That cannot bear directly upon the question of whether a given figure is accurate or not. The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order at this stage, but I do draw the minister's attention to the fact that there are 55 seconds remaining to answer the question that was asked by Senator Abetz. Senator WONG: I am not sure why pointing out the inconsistencies in the question is ritualised abuse, but I would say this— Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order on both sides! Minister, continue. You have 40 seconds remaining. Senator WONG: I can confirm there was a global financial crisis. I can confirm that the government put in place stimulus measures. I can confirm that, as a result of those measures and as a result of the resilience of the Australian economy and Australia's people, our economy is seven per cent larger now than prior to the global financial crisis—something that economies like those of the United Kingdom and the United States would give their right arm for. Those are the realities. I can confirm that 200,000 Australians stayed in work as a result of the actions of this government. I can confirm that we have handed down our budget surplus plans laid out fully transparent to the Australian people, unlike those opposite.