Swan enters debate on class warfare

TREASURER Wayne Swan will embrace the rhetoric of class warfare as he defends his budget in Melbourne today, accusing his opponents of wanting to keep Australia’s wealth in the hands of a fortunate few.

”In my view, we simply cannot claim to be a prosperous nation until all Australians can access the opportunities ahead of us – that’s what this budget was really about,” he will tell a community sector lunch organised by the Australian Council of Social Service.

”Of course the usual suspects will call this class warfare – whether that is a misunderstanding or simply a distortion is another issue – that’s fine, I am delighted we are having this debate.

”It is a debate about what kind of country we want to be – a country that capitulates to the demands of the vested interests and allows benefits to amass disproportionately to very few, or a country where we stand up for the fair go.”

Praising the council as an ”important counterweight to powerful vested interests”, he will say his fifth budget in many ways delivers on the values he has fought for his entire working life.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey yesterday backed up Mr Abbott, who last week attacked the Schoolkids Bonus in the budget for allowing people to ”blow it on the pokies”.

”What he said was if you are handing out taxpayers’ money there needs to be accountability,” Mr Hockey said.

”He is absolutely right, accountability is essential. It’s not good public policy and we will not support bad policy.”

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