Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion condemning the government’s continued efforts to misrepresent Australia’s economic circumstances and in so doing exacerbating our nation’s economic challenges.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Wentworth from moving immediately—That this House condemns the Government’s continued efforts to misrepresent Australia’s economic circumstances and in so doing are exacerbating our nation’s economic challenges:

(1)

the Prime Minister and the Treasurer persist in their efforts to misrepresent our economic history and present circumstances in a partisan attempt to blacken the economic reputation of the previous Government;

(2)

in doing so, they are themselves a significant risk to our economy, rather than providing sound and objective economic leadership;

(3)

the Prime Minister and Treasurer are fuelling inflationary expectations with their use of immoderate and irresponsible language;

(4)

the Prime Minister and Treasurer are driving down consumer and business confidence with their use of such language;

(5)

the Prime Minister and Treasurer refuse to tell the truth that their economic policy is designed to put Australians out of work in the name of fighting inflation;

(6)

the Prime Minister and Treasurer refuse to take into account the reality that economic activity is much slower outside of Queensland and Western Australia, and that their so-called fight against inflation is likely to have a disproportionately harsh impact on those states; and

(7)

this House formally recognises the Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer confidence survey as the real report card on the Prime Minister and Treasurer’s first 100 days in office.

The coalition left the Rudd government with an economy that was in outstanding condition: low unemployment, low inflation, high real wages—

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