Coalition briefing on budget, economy

Treasurer Joe Hockey has briefed the coalition party room on economic trends and the budget.

Treasurer Joe Hockey

Treasurer Joe Hockey has briefed the coalition party room on economic trends and the budget. (AAP)

Coalition MPs have been told to use the Christmas-New Year period to improve the sale of the government's economic message.

The final coalition party room meeting for the year included a 45-minute briefing on the economy by Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann.

Before the briefing, Prime Minister Tony Abbott told colleagues it had not been an easy year but it had been a year of achievement.

"Every single person in this room must spend the Christmas period telling the government's story of success and achievement," he said.

Mr Hockey, who will release the mid-year economic review within a fortnight, said the government had reduced projected debt by $300 billion and was rolling out the nation's biggest infrastructure program.

Economic growth would be up from 2.5 per cent to three per cent and exports up seven per cent.

The repeal of the carbon tax had delivered the largest-ever fall in electricity prices, and red tape cuts would save business $2 billion a year.

As a result of cutting industry entitlements, the government had achieved three free trade agreements that were the country's "passport to the future", he said.

Environmental approvals had been issued for 300 major projects worth $1 trillion.

Business and consumer confidence were being restored and housing starts had improved.

However, declining terms of trade and a sharp fall in iron ore prices represented "headwinds" for the economy and showed the need for economic reform.

"There is no finish line on economic reform," Mr Hockey told MPs.

He listed the inter-generational report due in February and the federation and tax white papers as crucial to economic reform.

But Mr Hockey said the mid-year review would not be a mini-budget because 75 per cent of the budget had already passed parliament.

Mr Hockey said Labor would make the budget position $43 billion worse off because the opposition was blocking $28 billion in savings, and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten had announced $15 billion in spending.


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