Waleed Aly and Anthony Albanese clash over the federal budget on The Project

The Labor party has continued to criticise the federal budget but not every one agrees with what Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has to say.

The Project host Waleed Aly clashed with Mr Albanese on air during Wednesday night’s episode as he argued that the government hasn’t done enough in the budget to increase wages, tackle debt and lift living standards.

Tuesday night’s budget saw billions announced in spending, aimed at speeding up Australia’s financial recovery after the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While experts have compared it to a Labor-style budget, Mr Albanese rejected the claims on The Project, “because it doesn’t increase wages and it doesn’t lift living standards,” he fired back.

“We’re going to see a further decline in real wages…it is not a Labor budget because it doesn’t set Australia up for the future.

“It’s not a Labor budget because it doesn’t attempt to build back stronger”.

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Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the budget and predicted Australians will be rewarded.

“The economic recovery plan that is set out in the budget that the Treasurer handed down last night is going to mean more jobs,” he said in Canberra.

“It’s going to mean more investment, it’s going to mean more support for Australians in work, it’s going to mean lower taxes”.

On The Project, Mr Albanese denounced the prime minister’s claims and warned Australia would be left with $1 trillion in debt and “no great legacy”.

Bickmore reasoned with Mr Albanese, saying “it has been a particularly tough year though. They’ve had to navigate their way through a pandemic. Realistically, what could have been done differently?”

In response, Mr Albanese explained how when the global financial crisis occurred, the country had invested in infrastructure and things like paid parental leave.

“With this government, in spite of the massive expenditure, they’ve cut infrastructure investment over the next four years by $3.3 billion, but they’ve also set-up these little slush funds. They’ve set up with 21 separate funds, they have $4 billion attached to them and there is $9 billion in the budget over the next short little while which is decisions taken, but not announced,” he said.

“It is your money, taxpayers, but they won’t tell you what it will be spent on and you have got to suspect it will be very much devoted to the political map rather than people’s needs.”

Aly cut in, saying: “That’s a common line item in the budget, though.”

“I have never seen anything like it. I have been here a while. It is not common to have $9 billion,” an annoyed Mr Albanese answered.

“The amount, you can argue. It is not a scandalous line item. That’s a common one,” said Aly.

“It is not actually, but we’ll keep going,” said the Labor leader.

“Billions has been added to the NDIS, which you were saying was a Labor legacy,” Aly continued.

Mr Albanese responded: “They cut $4 billion in the budget just a little while ago. So put some of that back. That’s true. Some of the areas.”

“More than some. They put more than $4 billion back,” argued The Project co-host.

After a back and forth, Aly thanked the Opposition Leader for joining them on the show, seemingly sarcastically adding that they should have him on the show more.

After the politician left, Bickmore awkwardly asked if they could go to a break.

“Yes, I concur,” stated Aly.

Mr Albanese is not the only one to criticise the government.

Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers warned there was a “deficit of vision” by the government and described it as a “misssed opportunity to set this country up for the future”.

In his reply in Question Time, Mr Chalmers attacked the government over economic stability, Australia’s “vaccination debacle” of which they “completely stuffed up” and said Australia’s recovery depended on wage growth.

Treasurur Josh Frydenberg told parliament that wages will rise as more jobs are created but Chalmers argued that wasn’t enough.

“What is the point of an eight-year-old government racking up a trillion dollars of Liberal debt when worker’s wages aren’t keeping up with their bills,” he criticised.

The government hopes to drop the unemployment rate below 5 per cent by next year.

Meanwhile, viewers on Twitter expressed their thoughts on the interaction between Aly and Mr Albanese, with many disagreeing with The Project host’s approach.