Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When those opposite were in government, spending grew by close to four per cent every year. It has only grown by an average of 1.5 per cent a year under this government. The comparison is huge. If you look at it, we have had higher growth than many countries who had to go through the GFC; lower inflation; and lower unemployment. We are able to demonstrate a record that is way better than those opposite.

We have been asked to be transparent. Those opposite claim that apparently—I saw this the other day—they have 40 of 49 policy areas completed. Can you just name one—and not something small? Name us something that you have been able to achieve? You have said you are not bringing Work Choices back but where is your actual IR policy? You have now been for years working your way away from the claim that you are bringing back Work Choices, and the minute the business community sticks a stick in the cage, you suddenly find your courage and say: 'Oh no. We're bringing in flexibility.' Everyone in the general community knows that when you are talking about flexibility you are only talking about one thing.

The talk about transparency and they are unable, for example, to meet this simple challenge. Last weekend economist Stephen Koukoulas, ex Citibank, a one-time prime ministerial economics adviser, tweeted simply this:

The Govt publish its budget data twice a year: Can you publish your costings & program cuts? Just once?

He tweeted that to Joe Hockey, and Joe Hockey got uptight and responded to me by saying: 'That's unfair. You guys can't even get board appointments right.' I am thinking: you get back to me when you can work out how to appoint an auditor and then you can lecture me on how that should work.

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