Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

We have just heard from the ‘wait and see’ brigade—the people who do not want to do anything in the face of a global recession. And no amount of slippery barrister talk from the Leader of the Opposition can camouflage all of his distortions and all of his opportunism. Three things stood out today in terms of distortion and opportunism. First of all, the Leader of the Opposition claims that he wants to cooperate. But what did we hear from him tonight? He said that they will have no part of it, in full. That is not cooperation. They want no part of it, they voted against it, and the consequence is the first Leader of the Opposition to walk into this House in this parliament’s history and argue for higher unemployment—the very first.

Secondly, the Leader of the Opposition said that he is opposed to borrowing. I watched him on Meet the Press last Sunday with Malcolm Farr. It was a joy to behold. Farr asked him this question:

MALCOLM FARR: You must know how much debt your scheme would involve. How much?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Malcolm, it would involve at least—somewhere between $22 billion and $27 billion less debt …

MALCOLM FARR: So we’re talking $180 billion versus $200 billion.

…            …            …

MALCOLM FARR: People stop counting after $100 billion when they’re talking billions, you know? Why is one level—

of debt—

unsustainable but $180 billion just peachy?

See this speech in context