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

Unfortunately, the nation is in the middle of a global recession, one that no nation in this world can avoid. No nation can avoid it, but what nations can do is moderate the impact. That is what this government moved to do swiftly and decisively last October not only with the stimulus package but with the bank guarantee, both in the end opposed by the opposition, and of course with our Nation Building and Jobs Plan of February—voted against in this parliament by those opposite. You would think that the Leader of the Opposition would know better, but of course he does not. He ought to behave better, but of course he does not. If the consensus of opinion that would normally be associated with the Liberal Party in this House could support the Australian government in our endeavours to combat unemployment and to support employment in this country, why can’t those opposite? I will tell you why they cannot: all they are concerned with is playing politics—point-scoring before policy—and they are unconcerned about what is occurring out there with those who have become unemployed.

This government will do everything within its power to support employment in the Australian community. We will work with the whole of the Australian community to achieve our objective. If that leaves the opposition out there point-scoring, so be it. We would rather see them on our side of the House supporting this, not opposing it. But they have taken a crude political position, which reflects very poorly on the Leader of the Opposition, who simply wants to point-score at a very important time in our history.

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