John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The truth is inconvenient for only one side of politics on that issue, and that is the opposition’s side of politics, because all of the claims that were made have been proved wrong. They say, ‘Oh, no,’ they protest, they carry on, they yell and they scream, but nothing can alter the fact that you said the world was going to come to an end. You invoked the Chicken Little prediction—it was all going to come to an end. Of course it did not come to an end. You said there were going to be mass sackings; there have been mass hirings. You said wages were going to be driven down and they have continued to rise at a healthy rate. You said there were going to be mass industrial disputes; the reverse has been the case. I know you are unhappy at the state of the Australian economy. I know you are very, very unhappy, despite what you said, at the result that was brought out by the Fair Pay Commission last week. You had your press releases ready with figures based on another outcome, but of course it did not come that way. The Leader of the Opposition specifically referred—

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