Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Labor will bring the federal budget back into surplus in 2012/13, unlike the opposition.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said today a coalition government would get the budget back to surplus "as quickly as possible".
But Ms Gillard is more certain 2012/13 will be a surplus year.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Finance spokesman Andrew Robb said yesterday the coalition would have to consider the government's books when it got in to office before it would be in a position to say when the first surplus would be delivered.
Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey later said the coalition could achieve a surplus in 2012/13, based on current information.
