Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer him to the World Economic Forum, which found that, in terms of wastefulness of government spending, Australia has gone from 10th best in the world to 48th since 2007. What confidence can the Australian people have that the government can pay for its $120 billion black hole of unfunded promises when it has been judged by the World Economic Forum to be one of the world's worst wasters of taxpayers' money?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Exhibit A: this is the negative approach of the opposition. If he wanted to accurately characterise that report, he would be standing up and saying that Australia is in a very competitive position. But no, what we get is this negative exaggeration all the time—

Mr Robb interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Goldstein might be removed in a minute, if he's not careful!

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and they are always changing their story. Whether it is support for the carbon tax or opposition to the carbon tax, they are always out there changing their story.

I thought that what I would do today would be to quote an authoritative source on the economy and how competitive we are. Who said: 'When the Prime Minister and the Treasurer say that the economy is doing better than most, they are right. I agree with them'? John Howard said that. So John Howard does not share that particular view. He went on to say:

There's no doubt that the Australian economy is doing better than most.

Our unemployment is remarkably low; our debt-to-GDP is converged very favourably; and by all the measurements, our inflation is low.

That is the former Prime Minister of Australia and his characterisation of our economy.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question was very explicitly about wasteful spending by this government. Wasteful Wayne, what are you going to do about it?

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Goldstein is warned! That was an abuse of the points of order. The Acting Prime Minister has the call and will be heard in silence.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

I might give the whinging member for Sturt a run very shortly, to add to his tally!

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was just making the point about the strength of our economic fundamentals and the importance of our economic fundamentals to the peace of mind of all Australians. Nothing is more important to peace of mind than the capacity to get a job, and 800,000 jobs have been created in this country under this government—and, every step of the way, those opposite have talked down our economy. When we moved to stimulate our economy and to save jobs, they voted against it, and almost sank it, in the Senate. What would Australia be like today if they had succeeded in doing that? It is because we put in place a responsible response to the global financial crisis and the global recession, and because we put in place a responsible fiscal policy to bring the budget back to surplus, that we have strong economic fundamentals. And day in, day out, through their negative approach to everything, those opposite come in here and trash our economic fundamentals; they stick their head in the sand and will never acknowledge them. That shows that they are unfit for high office. The Leader of the Opposition does not have the temperament and does not have the experience for high office.