There has been a lot of talk about balancing Australia's books in the past several years. Indeed, when it comes to discussing the future of the country it seems there has been little else but talk of debt and deficits.

A new government and a new budget present a good opportunity to have a discussion about our priorities for government. A debate based on facts not just blind ideology, about the things we value and those that we consider wasteful is long overdue. What better time for a debate about corporate welfare in all its guises and the role of government in the "age of entitlement"?

Most Australians will tell you that they value the services the government provides. They want more health services, better schools, new transport options and safer communities. What's more they are prepared to pay for them. But this government seems firmly focused on belt-tightening and making cuts.

To that end, one of the Abbott government's first acts only several weeks after the election, was to announce the appointment of a National Commission of Audit.

The commissioners have been handpicked from the business sector and the Liberal Party. Unions, welfare groups, academics and the community sector have been deliberately excluded. The terms of reference that guide their work are narrow, focusing almost exclusively on government expenditure and deliberately excluding the revenue side of the equation. The terms of reference imply that government spending is out of control, that the government sector is inefficient and that deep cuts are necessary. In the words of the commission's chair, Tony Shepherd, "everything is on the table".