Malcolm Turnbull insists his government is continuing the hard task of budget repair but a think tank doubts Australia's financial books are any nearer to a surplus.
The prime minister told parliament his government has already delivered $11 billion in budget repair.
"We are making the 45th parliament work," he proclaimed on Tuesday.
But national chairman of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia Paul McClintock still believes the budget has more than a savings problem.
The recently-released final budget outcome for the 2015/16 financial year showed the revenue problem was "alive and well".
"I remain unconvinced that we are really any closer to achieving a surplus within a reasonable time frame," Mr McClintock - a former adviser to John Howard when he was prime minister - told a CEDA conference in Canberra.
Treasurer Scott Morrison hopes Labor's recent decision to back a $6 billion savings bill isn't just a one-off.
The opposition backed the $6 billion so-called omnibus savings bill through parliament in September.
"I hope that doesn't prove to be the exception to the rule, because the rule at the moment is Bill Shorten playing politics with everything, absolutely everything," Mr Morrison told Ray Hadley on Sydney's 2GB radio.
But with more than $6 billion of welfare savings stuck in the parliament and the government's 10-year business tax plan now hanging in the balance, the treasurer accused the opposition of just "trying to play wrecker".
"It is bad enough those opposite do not support the tax plan over 10 years to drive growth and lift wages and living standards, but we learn last night in the Senate they are even opposed to cutting company tax rate for companies with a turnover up to $10 million," Mr Morrison later told parliament..
The treasurer has had a good response from Pauline Hanson's One Nation, Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm and Family First senator Bob Day to welfare savings now before parliament.
"There's a big test I think for the Nick Xenophon Team on these savings," Mr Morrison said.
"The Labor party as usual and the Greens, they just want to keep the payments rolling out of the door, they don't want to make savings on this stuff ever."
