Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed he does think right. I will accept the interjection from my colleague Senator Joyce. The Leader of the Opposition thinks: ‘How will we get around this? Gosh, let’s pretend to be the government and have their economic policy, because obviously the people out there like it!’ But from everything I have just said you can see that it is an absolute furphy. He is not an economic conservative and he should come out and be truthful with the people of Australia.

Interestingly, because of Labor’s economic policy we have seen, under them, budgets in deficit. Under us there have been budgets in surplus. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out which one of those is best for the country. I can remember budget days under Labor when we would be waiting for the budget to come out and wondering what would be so terrible in it this time. We would be wondering, ‘What’s going to be cut? Where’s the tax going to go this time?’ Now, because of this government’s economic management, we have people saying, ‘What’s in it for me? What am I going to get?’ You cannot compare the two governments.

I have referred to Labor’s economic past because it impacts on the future. I do not care how many times people say: ‘Gee, it was 11 years ago when they were in government. That’s too long ago; we shouldn’t go back and look at it.’ Rubbish! It is their track record. We do history and we look at how people and parties perform, and we do not disregard it, especially in the light of there being no substantive policy whatsoever coming from the ALP on how they would take the nation forward. This government’s economic platform is built on rock. The ALP’s economic platform is built on sand. The people of Australia should have a secure future. Unlike the opposition, the foundations of this government are built on rock, and that is what the people of Australia deserve.