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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, why are Australians worse off since the election of the Rudd government and does the Prime Minister take any responsibility for it?

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

As Prime Minister of the country, I take responsibility for all the news in this country on the economy—good news, difficult news and bad news. That is what political leadership is about. Secondly, I would say this: in terms of statements made by the Leader of the Opposition, what I will not be saying is what someone said in a different place, in a different space but from this side of the parliament at that time, and that is that working families have never been better off. Our attitude is simply this—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Those on my left will come to order!

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

Our attitude is simply this: you can engage in that sort of political language, as Mr Howard as Prime Minister did, or you can engage in some very direct conversation with the Australian people about the challenges that we face, and the challenges we face are substantial. They are challenges which are substantial, derivative of what is occurring in the international economy. They are challenges which are substantial on the basis of the legacy of 12 years of neglect we inherited from those opposite. They are substantial because of the 10 interest rate rises that we had in a row, and substantial also because of the impact which those 10 interest rate rises in a row had on the level of activity in the Australian economy and, on top of that, on the overall confidence on the part of business and consumers in the economy.

So either you can engage in some basic, straight conversation with the Australian people about the difficulties which exist in the Australian economy today or you can engage in the extravagant rhetoric of which those in the past were past masters. Our preference is very much the former, and this is why we will be upfront with the Australian people about the challenges Australia faces. We will be upfront with the Australian people about how we intend to deal with those challenges. We will be upfront with the Australian people about, for example, the fact that, if we are going to bring down greenhouse gas emissions, that will cost the economy, rather than pretending that it somehow can be done in a cost-free fashion. I believe the best way forward is to be upfront and straight with the Australian people about the challenges they face rather than plucking statements out of the air, as those opposition are so given to do.