The Government will deliver a strong surplus of $21.7 billion (1.8 per cent of GDP) in 2008‑09, with every dollar of new spending matched by spending cuts.
In this Budget, the Government is:
- providing a $55 billion Working Families Support Package, which rewards families for their hard work and helps them cope with the rising costs of living;
- meeting its commitments in areas including education, health, infrastructure, climate change and the environment, and defence; and
- investing in the future by establishing three nation building funds to meet capital shortages — the Building Australia Fund, the Education Investment Fund and the Health and Hospitals Fund.
