The printers are whirring, the numbers are locked in, and the Treasurer says tomorrow's Budget will deliver responsible savings for the whole country.
The rich are expected to be hit hardest by spending cuts, but we're being told tough decisions had to be made.
Wayne Swan thinks people will come to realise the added pressures weighing down the Government.
“Look I’m confident that Australians understand the need for tough decisions in this budget,” he told reporters in Canberra today.
“Spending has been out of control in recent times, it falls to this government to rein in irresponsible spending. We must do that to put downward pressure on prices and downward pressure on interest rates.”
Mr Swan slammed the previous government for failing to anticipate the current economic situation.
"We're not going to be as lucky as the previous government when it came to revenue upgrades so we can't be as lazy in terms of our response," he said.
"That's why we've had to make significant savings. The previous governement just relied upon endless increases in taxation revenue to fund increasing spending. We haven't got that luxury."