What MPs think of the federal budget

The morning after Treasurer Scott Morrison handed down his first budget, federal MPs are having their say.

WHAT MPS SAY ABOUT THE BUDGET

PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM TURNBULL

"This is not a short-term political budget."

"This is a plan that will ensure our children and our grandchildren enjoy the great opportunities these times offer them."

"You see people on higher incomes, that includes me of course, are seeing a very big scale-back on their benefits under superannuation."

OPPOSITION LEADER BILL SHORTEN

"This is a budget which favours the millionaires over the battlers. The high-income earners over the families."

"I think this budget was meant to be Malcolm Turnbull's big justification for rolling Tony Abbott, but at the end of listening to Scott Morrison last night I thought is that what all the fuss is about?"

TREASURER SCOTT MORRISON

"It wasn't just another budget. We need a national economic plan to see the economy through the transition, which we are succeeding in ensuring is positive, but there is a lot more work to do. We have to stay on that course."

THE GREENS

"We are very worried that this budget is going to turn the election into a tax cuts arms race."

- MP Adam Bandt

"In an act of reasonably predictable political cowardice, the treasurer and the prime minister have squibbed it on these overly generous negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions."

- Senator Scott Ludlam

"University fee deregulation is not dead yet, it is just resting and I know that the Liberal Party want to dig it up after the election"

- Senator Robert Simms

A DISGRUNTLED GOVERNMENT MP

"This budget is a fudged opportunity, unfortunately. Nothing in particular done to rein in rampant spending, which is at very high levels as a percentage of GDP."

- Outgoing Liberal Dennis Jensen.

LABOR MPS

"We didn't see Budget 2016, we saw Fudge-it 2016."

- Frontbencher Anthony Albanese

"It's not an economic plan, it is more a preview for an RSL hypnosis trick where in Malcolm Turnbull's mind Donald Trump is a corner store owner, the Hilton is a bed and breakfast and BHP's a landscaping company."

- Frontbencher Ed Husic

INDEPENDENTS

"It's been a budget with very, very little substance. It's like having a burger with the lot without having the lot in the middle of it and I'm disappointed."

- Senator Jacqui Lambie.

" An unprincipled attack on low-income earners, the disabled, students and families."

- Senator John Madigan.


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Source: AAP



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