Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Yes, I used that terminology last Friday. As the member may recall, I used that terminology in the House on, I believe, the very first day I was Prime Minister. I have used it consistently since. So there is nothing new in that. I have said to the Australian people consistently—before the election, during the election and now—that this program did become a mess, and the government brought it to an end. Having brought it to an end, obviously the government is working through compensation and inspection questions. We had the Hawke review and then of course we had the Auditor-General’s report. What members of parliament would see from the Auditor-General’s report and I think what they would conclude as a simple matter of common sense is that a lot has been learned through this process. It has been learned by government and the relevant department. They are important lessons.

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