“Go For Growth”: Shadow treasurer dusts off Howard-era slogan as he reveals plan to tackle debt

Shadow treasurer James Newbury has dusted off a Howard-era election losing slogan to sell his plan to repair Victoria’s economy, promising to scrap taxes and tackle Labor’s “ticking debt bomb”.

Shadow treasurer James Newbury has dusted off a Howard-era election losing slogan to sell his plan to repair the Victorian economy.

Responding to last week’s state budget – which forecast debt to rise to a record $194bn – Mr Newbury said the Opposition’s “Go For Growth” plan would “get Victoria moving again.”

In 2007 Liberal Prime Minister John Howard campaigned behind the slogan “Go For Growth” in a campaign which led to the end of his government’s 11 years in office.

Howard also lost his own seat, becoming the first sitting Australian Prime Minister to lose his seat in nearly 80 years.

In a vociferous budget-in-reply speech in parliament Mr Newbury said a decade of Labor had turned Victoria into the “rundown state”.

Mr Newbury has outlined his plan to repair Victoria’s economy. Picture: David Caird

“Our Go for Growth economic plan will get Victoria moving again,” he said.

“Our plan will get Jacinta Allan’s hand out of your pocket.

“It will scrap taxes, restore budget integrity, grow the private sector, support workers, ease the cost of living, and tackle Labor’s ticking debt bomb.

“Victoria needs fixing. And it needs change.”

Mr Newbury said the Coalition’s four-stage economic plan would scrap taxes, drive growth, and open a pathway to pay down debt.

He said the economic plan would encompass four stages that would:

RESTORE financial integrity,

UNLEASH private sector growth and job creation,

SUPPORT Victorian workers and ease the cost of living, and,

TACKLE debt responsibly.

Mr Newbury said Labor had left the state with “a ticking debt bomb”. Picture: Ian Currie

“Labor has left us with a ticking debt bomb. We need to defuse it,” he said.

“Soon, our debt repayments will consume almost ten per cent of our State Budget, when we will be paying $1.2 million dollars an hour in interest payments”

Mr Newbury recommitted the Opposition to a slew of commitments made under his predecessor Brad Rowswell including a debt cap, a charter of budget honesty and an expenditure tracker.

“Integrity in reporting isn’t enough though,” he said.

“Victorians deserve to know how their money is being spent. That is why we will also publish a real time online public expenditure tracker.

“The website will show settled spending decisions in real time.”

He also guaranteed no new taxes or charges under a Liberal National Coalition Government.

Originally published as “Go For Growth”: Shadow treasurer dusts off Howard-era slogan as he reveals plan to tackle debt