PBO report confirms Greens economic credentials

The release of the Parliamentary Budget Office report has confirmed that the Australian Greens were the economically responsible party.

"The Greens proposals would leave our nation in better shape than both Labor and the Coalition," Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"Our fully costed suite of policies would have delivered a more caring and economically sustainable society.

"The real story of the PBO report is how Tony Abbott hid his policies from independent scrutiny.

"Tony Abbott ran away from costed policies and got away with it.

"Mr Abbott didn't need to in every case. The PBO indicates that the Coalition's immigration policies will save more than announced during the election - although it remains to be seen if savings are borne out as they are based on assumed lower arrival rates.

"However the removal of the carbon tax package will reduce our Nation's finances by $7.3 billion.

"The Greens suite of fully costed policies put the budget's underlying cash balance $2 billion above what it is currently. This includes net increases in receipts of $45.8 billion and increases in expenditure of $43.7 billion. The fiscal position is improved by $0.4 billion, including revenue of $43.8 billion and expenses of $43.4 billion.

"The Greens increase foreign aid while the others cut it, we save taxpayers billions from closing down offshore detention centres and the list goes on.

"For all their scaremongering about debts and deficits in opposition, the report confirms Australia's debt will be higher after the first term of an Abbott government than at the beginning and there is no plan for a surplus."