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

The Rudd government is not willing to wait for foreign lenders to withdraw their money and have commercial property values plummet, resulting in Australian job losses. The commercial property sector employs around 150,000 people including plumbers, electricians and carpenters. According to Treasury figures, without action, up to 50,000 people in this sector lose their jobs with flow-on effects to jobs in other parts of the economy. The opposition needs to explain to workers at projects like Vision tower in central Brisbane, which has had to delay full construction and lay off or redeploy 600 workers, why they, including their opportunistic leader, would rather see the commercial property sector fail than ensure the protection of Australian families and jobs. (Time expired)