Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

To protect jobs, Senator Macdonald. We actually think that is important. In order to give effect to the package, I met with Senate leaders and whips yesterday to try and get their support for a process that would allow the Senate to deal quickly with these bills, for two reasons. The first is to provide economic confidence in Australia, to provide certainty to Australians that we are going to implement the package and to provide confidence that there will be money flowing into the economy, that there will be money flowing to small business and that infrastructure projects will go ahead. Then businesses can plan on the basis of that stimulus package. I deliberately encouraged those Senate leaders to find the right balance between the absolute need for Senate scrutiny, which I support, and the need for the government to get its legislation passed—