Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is unfortunate that Senator Bernardi makes those very brief comments in which he starts to suggest that this government is simply talking and not acting. I do not know where he has been since we won government. I do not know how he can possibly misunderstand the very many actions that this government has taken to stimulate the economy. It is simply not talk. The government has acted decisively and early in the best interests of this country. It is stimulating the economy at times when it needs to. It is putting Australia in a position where we can continue to face the challenges presented by the global economic crisis in an effective way that benefits Australian businesses, Australian workers and this economy in general.

On behalf of the government, I absolutely reject those very flippant and, I think, ill-considered comments by the spokesperson for the opposition. Senator Bernardi really should take a deep breath and actually look at what this government is doing. To suggest in any way that what the government is doing could simply be described as talk and not action I think simply defies belief.