Do you think your forecasts might be a bit ambitious in the budget?

Oh, no I think the forecasts are very sound and realistic, probably most forecasters would agree that we have taken into account the effect of the Asian region, Australia’s growing at the moment up around the high three’s, we’ve marked growth at 3 per cent in 1998-99 after allowing for turbulence in the region, I think that’s a very realistic assessment. And we have deliberately made allowance for those factors that are outside our control.

Are you disappointed though businesses’ sceptism about the figures in the budget?

I don’t think business is at all sceptical. I think that these have been greeted as very realistic forecasts, and some people think that we could have had them a little higher, some people may err a little lower. But I think throughout the last year or so the forecasts have been extremely well received.

What’s your response to Kim Beazley’s Budget Speech in Reply?

Well, Mr Beazley is absolutely confused. One day he says that the Labor Party left no deficit, the next day his deputy says it did. One day he says the Treasury caused it, the next day his deputy said the Treasury solved it. One days he says if the government is re-elected, he’ll vote for a GST, the next day he says if the government’s re-elected he’ll vote against a GST. More twists than Chubby Checker. You’re going round and round without any direction. Now, if Mr Beazley wants to start taking himself seriously in relation to economic issues, he should get a position, he should show some consistency, and above all, he has to start acknowledging the truth. You can’t run an economic policy until you acknowledge the truth, the truth about where the budget was, how Labor failed Australia and what’s required to fix it up.

The dollar’s fallen even further overnight. Is this a bit of concern (inaudible) in Indonesia?

The Australian Government is concerned about Indonesia. Obviously, with rioting and loss of life, and we as a country have taken a position to try and strengthen economic reform in Indonesia, because that’s going to be good for the Indonesian people. Very important, I think, for the sake of the Indonesian people that the country is returned to stability and we wish them well in the situation that they currently face.

Thanks.