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

This will be a very important thing in the parliament because we will see five key savings measures in the parliament totalling $4 billion in savings. This will be a very big test for those opposite, because you cannot say that you believe in coming back to surplus if you do not support the savings.

Of course, there has been a lot commentary from those opposite as to where they may or may not stand on this matter, but I think the final word from Senator Minchin is one that is quite disturbing. He made this point:

Too many Parties ... err on the side of populism ... That is ultimately self-defeating because you end up standing for nothing...

Those remarks are directed at the shadow Treasurer and, of course, at the shadow finance spokesman. They are now so negative that they are now opposing their own policies. They decided in their party room last week that they would not be supporting the alternative fuels measures, which were a product of the Howard government and go back as far as 2004. They have now become so negative that they are opposing even policies they supported over a long period of time. What this demonstrates is what the opposition leader said in the party room last week when he said that he will take opportunism any time—opportunism over good policy.

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