Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

Again I hear the interjection. I was talking to the Business Chamber of New South Wales the other day about this government and they were asking, 'Why don't they get it?' I said that it is really simple: their Prime Minister, their Treasurer and their Assistant Treasurer—all the economic people—went into the public sector in their early 20s and they think you become prosperous with efficiency of the spend. They have no understanding of the relationship between spend and growth—none. They think that if you want to prosper you cut your marketing budget. I have seen businesses with far more experience than this lot do it. These people are unbelievable. Business is talking about the lack of experience in this government. Business is talking about the fact that this government does not understand how you grow an economy or a business. We have seen actions by this government in the last two years that will have a devastating effect on our capacity to grow. You are going to wear it. It is going to be sheeted back to you. You can talk about us as much as you like, but for God's sake talk about the country. That is your job.

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