Finance Minister Mathias Cormann isn't buying into criticism from Tony Abbott the government hasn't been talking enough about issues such as budget repair during the eight-week election campaign.
"The coalition in this election, every single plan, has been every single day, has been setting out our plan for jobs and growth," Senator Cormann told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
The former prime minister believes there have been only fleeting mentions of budget repair, national and border security, which has allowed the same-sex marriage plebiscite to grab attention.
The 2015/16 financial year ends on Thursday and is expected to show a budget deficit of $40 billion, the fifth largest in history.
But Senator Cormann says the budget is now on a credible path back to surplus in mid-2021.
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"The decisions that we have made over the last three years are there for all to see," he said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull concedes the budget is " certainly under pressure" but declined say there was a "budget emergency" - a term favoured by Mr Abbott when in opposition.
"I would simply say in these times when we need to ensure we are responsible and live within our means in times of uncertainty in the global environment we need strong budget discipline," Mr Turnbull told 3AW radio.
The coalition was going into Saturday's election with the budget as its economic platform and expected the new Senate to respect any mandate, he said.
