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

The question asked by the Manager of Opposition Business goes to the question of debt. What I have sought to do in going through this in some detail is to expose the intellectual fraudulence of their argument. There are three components here: (1) will they borrow in order to meet the collapse in Commonwealth government revenue—that is, a $125 billion collapse, most recently added to by the quantum of $75 billion; (2) there are other unanticipated expenses which arise from social security payments; and (3) there is the quantum of the stimulus package. Those opposite call for a stimulus of about $20 billion, more depending on whether you listen to the member for Aston or not. We say $42 billion. What is the difference in the overall quantum? It is something in the order of $20 billion. What I would like to see is some intellectually honest accounting from those opposite about what they would support by way of borrowing or otherwise. Instead, they have embarked upon a political strategy.

I conclude my remarks with those that I began question time with today—that is, this is all directed by the leader of the Liberal Party against his uncertainty about the member for Higgins. It is politics pure and simple.

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