Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the honourable member for Curtin spoke at length about the credentials of being an appropriate economic conservative. I am responding entirely within that framework. Therefore, I would draw her attention to the conservative government of Germany, the conservative government of Japan and the conservative government of the United States—running fiscal deficits of minus 4.6 per cent of GDP and minus 3.8 per cent of GDP. Germany, on the back of its most recent stimulus package, is running a deficit of 0.8 per cent of GDP. I would also draw the attention of the honourable member for Curtin to the good old bank that the Leader of the Opposition used to work for. The former merchant bank Goldman Sachs said as follows:

The combination of aggressive central bank easing and judicious fiscal stimulus will leave Australia better placed than its global peers in avoiding a deep and prolonged recession.

Can I say to the member for Curtin, who is renowned for her originality in this place, that the challenge for responsible leadership—

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