Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, what we have seen on the other side is a return to economic populism—a focus on the headline rather than economic reform. One wonders what Peter Costello must be thinking as he watches Mr Hockey suggest we should reregulate interest rates and as he watches while Mr Robb toys with intervening in relation to the dollar. The standard of the response has not improved in the last 24 hours. Mr Hockey said this morning of the Prime Minister’s speech that it was like being slapped around the head with a terry-towelling hat. Mr Abbott this morning called the Prime Minister shrill and aggressive. This sort of name-calling is no substitute for real economic reform. That is what you are all about. You are all about saying no, you are all about walking away from reform and you are all about wrecking. That is all you offer the Australian people.