Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

To follow up the comments from Senator Fielding, can I say to him that at the times when I was interested in pursuing an appearance of the Reserve Bank governor—notwithstanding that I spent 11½ years without the numbers on any committee—the committee never indicated that it would not be prepared to call the Reserve Bank governor. It was not a question of political will. It was not blocked by the incumbent government. I say that quite genuinely. It was more a question of whether or not I had decided I wanted to pursue the line of questioning with the Reserve Bank. I never found that the government of the day used the numbers to block an appearance. So, while I appreciate that you are genuinely addressing an anomaly created by a political stunt on the other side and that you are putting forward a consistent approach—whereas they are just putting forward a stunt—I would say to you that the Reserve Bank governor’s appearances were not blocked by a majority on the committee. I think Senator Murray has been on those committees for as long if not longer than me and, if it is political will, it is a question of asking.