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

We will be telling the Australian people that it is not a good thing to place the management of the Australian economy in the hands of inexperienced people who do not, for example, understand our taxation system at a time when international storm clouds are threatening the stability of the international economy. This, more that at any time over the last five years, is a time for the Australian economy to be in strong, experienced hands, in the hands of people who understand how to withstand the ravages of international economic buffeting.

The Leader of the Opposition would say to the Australian people: ‘Oh, they can’t say that about me. It’s a smear.’ Could I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he has only been in politics since 1998 and a number of us have been in politics for a long time. If he imagines that what has been said about his lack of experience, what has been said about his knowledge deficit in relation to taxation and what has been said about his glass jaw represent a personal attack and a personal smear, can I say to the Leader of the Opposition, through you, Mr Speaker: you haven’t been born.

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