Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

But look around us—no-one opposite would dare to pronounce that Emperor Rudd has no clothes. No, they go along with the fairytale. They nod sagely behind him every day in question time. They trumpet his arrival. They hang on his every word, and repeat them day after day on the doors. Even though they know in their own hearts that this reckless spending spree has frittered away a budget surplus and left our nation facing a decade of debt, they all fall at the feet of Emperor Rudd. The emperor has no clothes—he has no economic credibility. The old maxim is proving true once again: Labor simply cannot manage money.

In the few moments I have left I want to refer to the so-called Building the Education Revolution. Again in their desperation to shovel the money out the door, the government has set unrealistic time frames and is pressuring schools to accept whatever is on offer. There must be greater commitment to value for money. (Time expired)

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