'Detox' from govt spending, urges Hockey

Treasurer Joe Hockey says Australians need to "detox" after years of government support.

Mr Hockey told the coalition joint party room meeting in Canberra on Tuesday the government was involved in a "marathon not a sprint" as it sought to get Senate approval for controversial budget measures.

Among the measures are tightening of welfare and pension eligibility rules to stem a blowout in spending.

Mr Hockey said he was confident of getting the bulk of the budget measures through the Senate.

But it was hard to get Australians to "detox from more and more government spending", he added.

One MP suggested at the meeting that the government show every taxpayer a calculation of how much tax they pay minus the amount of money returned to them in terms of welfare and other support.

Another said the tax system should be overhauled and the government should rethink how families were supported.

Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop told the meeting the lesson of the Howard government had been that voters respected hard decisions made early in the term and with that respect came "longevity".