Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That's right. It's what he said. I encourage the defence industry minister to write some long-form papers. We'll definitely read them.

There were a lot of instructive statements within that paper, including purlers like this:

Our mission is to redefine and reform our economy and institutions …

It's a mission. So it's not just about this bill; it's about what this bill is supporting. He then goes on to say:

If we could redesign markets …

The Treasurer doesn't say what he means by 'redesign markets', but it does pose a question: maybe he could extend this essay out beyond 6,000 words to something that maybe looks like a thesis. Then he talks about renovating the RBA. Some commentators have said that that obviously doesn't mean a new set of curtains and a lick of paint but it means more something more substantial. We wait to see what those proposals will be. He goes on to say:

And we will renew and revitalise the Productivity Commission …

It begs the question: what is it about the Productivity Commission that the Treasurer doesn't like? Is it its mission statement of actually reforming and boosting productivity in this nation? He continues:

… it's not just our economic institutions that need renewing and restructuring, but the way our markets allocate and arrange capital as well.

'Allocate and arrange capital'—that sounds very much like a Treasurer who is focused on injecting himself and the government into how capital is allocated in our markets. And that has never ended well, anywhere in the world. But for some reason that's a great idea for this government to have at this time.

When you look to the Treasurer's thesis, which is a lot longer than his 6,000-word essay—

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