Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

What the Treasury secretary says to the Reserve Bank is a matter for the Reserve Bank; it is not a matter for me. I am rather amused, as I always am, by the member for Lilley, because his big point has been that the government should instruct the Treasury secretary what to say at Reserve Bank board meetings. Leave aside the fact that the board is independent. This is the point that really gets me: the Australian Labor Party’s policy up until a couple of years ago was to take the Treasury secretary off the board so that he could not actually represent the government.

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