Government spending is taxation. When you look at this, I've never heard of a poor person spending himself into prosperity; let alone I've never heard of a poor person taxing himself into prosperity.

What I'm not saying is that all government spending is bad. It's not - far, far from it, but there is no free lunch, as a former colleague of mine used to say. There is no public tooth fairy. Father Christmas does not work on the Treasury staff this year. You can never bail someone out of trouble without putting someone else into trouble.

If we don't get a grip on government spending, there will be no growth.

The Gillard government must give up its addiction to wasteful spending borrowing and taxing.

No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.

A long-lasting and sustained recovery will never be achieved through massive government spending programs.