Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer to the minister's comments that the responsibility for the future of SPC's fruit cannery lay fair and square with the Liberal Party. Given that the Victorian Nationals have lost the seat of Shepparton after 47 years and will lose their party's status, does the minister accept personal responsibility for the loss of this seat?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is interesting to note that there is actually a package for SPC. It was delivered by the National Party and it was delivered by Jeanette Powell. They actually did get a package. One of the big reasons they got a package is because Victoria has something that the federal government does not have: Victoria has a surplus. They actually have a government in Victoria that can deliver a surplus. What we were left with was the car crash that is the Labor Party's financial position. The Labor Party's financial position is the reason why there is so much that has to be turned around.

Of course, this creates concern. Of course, this creates the reasoning behind us having to tighten our belts. If these people on the other side had been half the economic wit that we have with our Treasurer, then we would not be in this position.

All the time we are trying to sweep up after your mess. All the time we have the same old story—the Labor Party creates the pigsty, we have to clean it up and they complain about the noise of the vacuum cleaner. It happens all the time, no matter where we go. We are trying to turn around the financial position of this nation that your government left us in. Your government is still there, represented by the member for Lilley and represented by the member for McMahon. They are still there. Everything that we have to do is a result of your fiasco of financial management.