Whenever Julia Gillard and her ministers are in damage control and unable to refute the facts they resort to abuse and playing the man.

This is what we have seen today after the The Australian highlighted the embarrassing fact that the actual growth in gross debt since Labor came to office is third only behind Iceland and Ireland as revealed by the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Shadow Finance Minister Andrew Robb said the AOFM web site shows that total Commonwealth government securit... ies on issue stands at $223.4 billion, an increase of more than 250 per cent since Labor came to office in 2007.

“The fact is federal gross debt is hurtling towards quarter-of-a-trillion-dollars which leaves us highly vulnerable if our terms of trade come off as a consequence of events in Europe and moderating growth that we are now seeing in China.

“Our budget structural deficit is such, that if there is some notable comeback in our record high terms of trade we will find ourselves facing continued budget deficits of $50 billion year in, year out,” Mr Robb said.

“The prime minister and the likes of Bill Shorten are in a state of denial and amid their attacks on me they failed to produce single fact to refute the escalation in debt we have seen since they came to office or explain how they plan to reduce it.

“To get a sense of why debt has increased so alarmingly under this government consider that government spending totalled $272 billion when Labor came to office, yet this year that figure stands at $362 billion, another $90 billion, a 30 per cent increase in spending in just four years,” Mr Robb said.

“This shows how all of Labor’s talk about fiscal consolidation is a con.

“And if anybody dares to raise the truth or valid criticism the government spin doctors have their ministers wheel out the old ‘they’re recklessly talking down the economy’ line.

“It is time this government finally faced reality and took some serious steps to pay off debt and restore the economic resilience it inherited. It’s time this government lived within its means,” Mr Robb said.