Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is such a pleasure to speak in this debate, on this matter of public importance, about the government's failure to deliver an economic plan for this country, because hasn't that failure been so comprehensive, so utterly disappointing? This is a Prime Minister and a Treasurer who swept into office six months ago on the basis of what they said was the member for Warringah's failure to have an economic plan.

'A failure to have an economic plan' rings a bell for me. What happened? Six months later there is no economic plan. All we have seen is flipping and flopping and dithering. This man could dither for Australia. It is deeply impressive how much this man can dither. We are talking about a Prime Minister who says, 'We don't want to rush into any policy.' You have had six months as Prime Minister. You are not going to rush. You will be lucky to get any policy out, before the election, the way you are going, Prime Minister.

What have we had, here, today? Has the Prime Minister bothered to come in and defend his government's lack of an economic plan? No. Did the Treasurer bother to come in for this debate?

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