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

I also draw the attention of the Leader of the Opposition, given that he is now such a high custodian of the standards of this place as reflected by his contributions in many fields prior to coming to this place, that on the question of the official establishments, which he just drew attention to in his question, the decision that my wife and I have taken in relation to Kirribilli is to throw it open for charitable fundraising. I would simply make as a point of contrast that on a regular basis charitable organisations use Kirribilli to raise money for charities which deliver services to Australians in need. Mission Australia and others are there every month or so, raising money, deservedly, for deserving organisations. It seems that the definition of a deserving organisation, when those opposite were in power, was called the Liberal Party.

Australians expect in this time of global economic crisis that we actually engage in a debate about the future of the country, about people’s jobs and whether they have got security of employment, about small businesses struggling to get finance, about car dealerships trying to stay afloat and about businesses out there in the economy trying to secure finance for their operations. This government has acted with every peak industry body in the country—the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia; the Australian Industry Group; the small business organisation, COSBOA; and those bodies representing other industries across Australia—and do you know why? It is because we are in the business of making a difference for people at a time of extraordinary economic duress. We have a positive plan for the country’s future. We intend to build the Australian economy up, and I say to those opposite: you are seeking to talk the economy down.

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