Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Joyce for his question and congratulate him on wearing an ovarian cancer ribbon. The government has always been upfront when it comes to fiscal policy and the budget position. Since we came to office, we have delivered updates of the fiscal position every six months, putting out our budgets and midyear updates. We have reported monthly on the outcomes of government receipts and payments. We have put out a comprehensive final budget outcome at the end of each year.

In this time, we have been subject to extraordinary and volatile economic circumstances, but we have done the right thing by Australian jobs. We ensured during the global financial crisis, through fiscal measures, that 200,000 Australians stayed in a job. That was because of our fiscal stimulus package—which you opposed. As the Treasurer said before Christmas, we are not prepared to simply start sacrificing economic growth and jobs at the altar of illiterates like those opposite. When it comes to economics, those opposite have had one go at presenting a fully costed plan to the Australian people in five years. They had one go at it and all they could come up with was an $11 billion con job, as was exposed after the election by Treasury analysis. They hired a bunch of Dodgy Brothers accountants, who have been fined for professional misconduct. They hired Dodgy Brothers accountants— (Time expired)