Federal Treasurer Chris Bowen says he doubts a coalition government can deliver a budget surplus, without cutting services.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott says a coalition government would deliver a small surplus in three years, if the current budget projections are correct and take defence spending to two per cent of GDP.
He also says within a decade, the budget surplus would be one per cent of gross domestic product and a coalition government would spend less.
But Mr Bowen says a Coaltion government is code for cuts to jobs and services, and this is not a recipe for growth.
"Now without a magic pudding, without fairy dust there's only one way all those things can be true and that is real and significant cuts. Real and significant cuts to health and education. Real and significant cuts to family payments."
Tony Abbott says the coalition will have more to say about budget savings this week, but maintains the opposition's full costings won't be released until the final week of the campaign.
"We've already identified $17 billion worth of savings," Mr Abbott told the Seven Network on Monday.
"There's quite a lot of savings detail out there already."
But pressed on when the opposition would provide more detail on promises, Mr Abbott said: "We'll have more to say about savings this week".
"We won't be able to reveal the absolute final fiscal position until all of our policies are on the table, and that will be the final week," he said.
