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

The intervention by the member for North Sydney is about as ridiculous as the question asked by the member for Curtin.

The combination of expansionary monetary and fiscal policies now in place will help to cushion the Australian economy from the contractionary forces coming from abroad.

This is a serious debate for the nation—how we respond to a global economic crisis beyond the control of a single national economy, deploying all instruments of policy to rise to the challenge which now confronts us. The government have embarked on that strategy, we will not be deterred from it and we believe that we have charted a strategy which will see Australia through. Again, I would say to those opposite: will they support the strategy that we have advanced—will they support the package of measures contained in the policy put forward today—or will they not? That is the simple question around which they are twisting and turning in this debate. The answer will be delivered soon, when these matters are voted on. I would suggest to those opposite: stop sitting on the fence, start exercising appropriate judgement and support a course of action which will help see Australia through rather than take your traditional course of action over the last 12 months plus, which was to sit on the fence and carp from the sidelines.

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