Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again to the Prime Minister: will the Prime Minister confirm his government’s budget forecasts for inflation?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said yesterday, inflation is running at 4.2 per cent and I think what is pretty interesting in this debate is exactly—

Opposition Member:

An opposition member——What about your forecast!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course the government stands by its forecast. What I think is really interesting is that it is not just the three positions we referred to before. If we go through the evolution of those opposite’s position on inflation, the member for Higgins said last year: ‘We have got inflation just where we want it.’ That was in the middle of last year. That is when they went to those opposite and then said inflation was a fairytale. Then we moved to—

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance and the budget forecasts. This goes to the stability of this nation’s economy. The Prime Minister needs to say yes—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member will resume his seat.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then we had this remarkable statement by the shadow Treasurer and prospective leader of the Liberal Party, the member for Wentworth, who said, on 17 March 2008, ‘mission accomplished’ on inflation—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is about the stability of the economy; about whether the budget forecasts have been changed.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. I will listen carefully to the Prime Minister’s answer.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then we had the member for Wentworth say that it was ‘mission accomplished’ as far as inflation was concerned—until we got to position number 5. And this number 5 today is that it is now of ‘central importance’. That is where we have got to: charade, fairytale, central importance. What is pretty interesting, though, on the economic policy stakes is this—from the quite extraordinary website which the Treasurer referred to before—from the alternative leader of the Liberal Party, which advertises the budget of the Australian government.

Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Does standing order 104 apply to the Prime Minister answering his own questions or other people’s questions?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Tangney will resume his seat.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have this extraordinary website by the alternative leader of the Liberal Party which advertises the Australian government budget. It has on its front page, of course, the member for Wentworth’s address on the budget at the National Press Club, but I do not see any reference to the actual budget reply by the Leader of the Opposition anywhere on the front page of this website—nowhere. There is a dog blog there but no reference to—

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Prime Minister’s remarks now are no longer relevant. He was asked a simple question, can he confirm—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Menzies will resume his seat. The Prime Minister will bring his answer to a conclusion.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The core debate here is: do you believe that inflation is a real problem and therefore what should government policy be doing about it? We on our side of the House have a clear-cut strategy; those on that side of the House do not have any such strategy. If those opposite in the middle of their interjections had heard what I said before, of course we stand by the budget forecasts.