Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to Senator Minchin, Minister for Finance and Administration. Does he recall proclaiming in May that he was ‘custodian’ of taxpayers’ money whose job it was to ensure that money was spent ‘wisely’? What sort of custodian is a minister who does not ask to cost the $10 billion water package? What sort of custodian is a minister who was not told that the cost of the Northern Territory intervention has grown from tens of millions of dollars to $587 million a year? What sort of custodian is a minister who is not consulted about a state hospital takeover the cost of which could blow out to something like $100 million a year? Far from being a wise custodian of taxpayers’ money, has not the minister failed to protect taxpayers’ money from a desperate Prime Minister who is willing to do anything, say anything and promise anything to cling to power?