'Smirking" Joe Hockey has warned he is ready to bypass Parliament and force through new spending cuts if Labor and the Greens do not come to the table on billions of dollars of budget savings.
The Government is struggling to win support for a number of controversial budget changes, including plans for a co-payment on doctor visits, and moves to increase the fuel tax.
If they are not passed the Government faces a multi-billion-dollar hole in the budget bottom line.
Mr Hockey says he will have to look elsewhere for savings if the Senate is not willing to negotiate.
Mr Hockey said that if the Senate continued to block the Government's plans, he was prepared to look at budget cuts that did not require legislation.
He said any decision to make further cuts to the foreign aid budget would not require parliamentary approval.
Labor says it is willing to negotiate with the Government, but points out that the Treasurer and Finance Minister have both previously ruled out making changes.
"Today he's talking about alternatives, [but] we've been told there's no alternatives," shadow treasurer Chris Bowen told Radio National.
"He and Mathias Cormann keep saying this is the only choice, there's no alternative to this budget.
"So if the Treasurer wants to put up alternatives, let's get rid of the bluff and bluster and the beating of the chest with which he specialises, and get down and tell us what the alternatives are."
But Mr Bowen said Labor was not willing to compromise on its values, describing the budget as unfair and one which "attacks our social fabric".
Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer said voters would punish the Coalition at the ballot box for any "irrational" cuts.
"I don't think we're frightened at what Joe Hockey says," he said.
"If Joe Hockey does that, if he just tried to hurt people for the sake of hurting people, the Australian people will throw the Government out at the next election - there'll be a new government."
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