Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers. What a joke, Senator Farrell. Despite the supposed aspirations of this government, forget about an embarrassment of riches; it is about to become an embarrassment of rags. Unlike the Howard-Costello government, which did the admirable progression from rags to riches in transitioning from past Labor governments to a very healthy Howard-Costello government, this government, the Gillard- Swan team, is intent on dragging this country from past coalition riches right back to Labor rags. Exhibit A: the $308 million set-top box scheme. Master Electricians Australia warns that this is shades of ghosts past, that installers are not being properly trained to install the set-top boxes and that it could result in the deaths of installers—shades of ghosts past. Remember the botched and bungled home insulation scheme. This government has not learnt a thing. The Australian people probably know that we should not bother crying over spilt milk, but they will come to rue the day that this government takes them from riches to rags, and they will indeed come to cry over Treasurer Swan's spilt water.

Question agreed to.