Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is no doubt that the current economic circumstances that we find ourselves in are perhaps the most dire that the world has faced in 100 years—certainly since World War I or World War II—and require a global response and global action. They also require national action here in this country, and that is exactly what has taken place. The Rudd government has moved swiftly and decisively. I know that the opposition may not like to hear those words, but that is simply the case. The case is that we have moved swiftly, we have moved decisively and we have taken appropriate action to ensure that national confidence, the security that we all enjoy in terms of our position in the world of finance, is maintained.

Listening to a number of speakers on the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Economic Security Strategy) Bill 2008 and the associated bills that are before us, it is interesting to note what their views are on these bills and the view of the opposition in terms of what is required. It becomes very clear to people listening, I think, that the opposition are taking a bet each way saying that they knew this was all going to happen, that they knew about the global financial crisis and that somehow the right honourable Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, knew about—

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