Hockey won't make surplus figure promise

The coalition will release costings of its policies but won't commit to a specific pledge on a surplus, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey says.

Rate cut shows poor economy: Hockey

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey says expected rates cut shows Labor has lost control of the economy.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says he won't commit to a budget surplus forecast in the Coalition's election promise costings.

Mr Hockey said the Rudd government's recent economic statement had "unbelievable" figures in it.

It followed six years of budget figures which had consistently proved to be wrong.

"We will provide you with our numbers of the costs associated with policies and the savings to pay for it," Mr Hockey told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

"But we are not going to make the mistake Labor made and make rash forecasts of what the surplus or deficit will be in the out-years because the starting point is unbelievable."

Mr Hockey said the Coalition's costings would be made public.

"We will have our policies and how much they cost, we will have the savings to pay for it and the difference will be a bottom line positive," he said.

Mr Hockey says the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate to a record low of 2.5 per cent because the economy is struggling under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

"If the economy was performing well the Reserve Bank wouldn't have moved today," he said.

"It's not a great credit to this government at all."

These low interest rates come at a time when terms of trade and commodity prices remain relatively high and inflation is low.

He said government debt was approaching $400 billion and government deficits were getting bigger.

"Business and consumer confidence in the United States is in better shape than business and consumer confidence in Australia," he said.

"Australians are worried about their job. It's damn hard to pay off a mortgage if you haven't got a job."

He said unemployment was rising rapidly under Labor and it was going to continue to do so.

Labor last week forecast a jobless rate of 6.25 per cent in 2013/14 and 2014/15 compared with 5.7 per cent currently.


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Source: AAP


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