Q: The audience wants to understand how you will put politics in play, policies in place, that we are relying on tax revenue. Right now you’ve given you and me $5 or $10 in our pockets. But going forward, who else is going to pay for all of these promises you’ve made if it’s not the taxpayer?

Chalmers:

The reason I think that’s an unusual question tonight, Sarah, is I’ve just laid out in lots of detail the Government’s economic plan, to help people with the cost of living, strengthen Medicare and make ourselves more resilient in the face of global uncertainty. All we ask is that three years in eye 3-year parliamentary term, that the Opposition comes clean and the consequences.

Q: I want to talk about the global uncertainty because the next 3-year term, if re-elected, you could face an inflationary global trade war with the US, ongoing demands over Ukraine and a worsening security situation with China. With all of that uncertainty, would it have been more prudent to tighten the budget now to increase the capacity to respond to crisis?

Chalmers:

Well, there is a dark shadow from all of this global economic uncertainty over the world’s economy and over our own economy and budget, we are very upfront about that in the Budget Papers and in my Budget speech tonight we do think there is substantial risk that these escalating trade tensions mean around world and we wouldn’t be immune from that.