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

I have to say I am not sure that the premise of that question is actually factually correct, Senator Ludlam. I do not have a lot of experience in ordering buses, trains and carriages, but I do understand there is a fair amount of lag time involved. Let me be clear: I do not think the premise of your question is accurate, because you do have to place these orders and they have to be slotted in behind existing orders. So I do not think the premise is correct. But we are committed to addressing the short-term needs of the economy, as have been exposed by the IMF report, which shows the international economy is plunging into a recession at breathtaking speed. Our response is about maximising the chance of supporting 90,000 jobs in Australia and working in the current environment— (Time expired)