Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, Senator Cameron, you were not there. I saw the shadow Treasurer's face fall. He got more and more quiet. Indeed, the Leader of the Opposition had a smile pasted on his face like some sort of comic relief or some sort of clown at the carnival where you put the ball in. You should have seen it, Mr Acting Deputy President, you would have had a wry smile.

The opposition had gone from loud attack, but as the initiatives rolled out, as our government's commitment to the future of laying the right foundation for our nation going forward became apparent, there was shutdown. I note that there has not been a lot of critique. Even question time in this place over the last three days has been pretty shoddy. It has been a pretty shoddy attempt at critiquing a budget that is seriously dealing with the real problems of our community, and of our society more broadly. It is setting us up to take advantage of the 21st century like never before by dealing with youth unemployment, which is so high in the communities I care about, and by dealing with the realities of women returning to the workforce in a way that allows families to access flexible childcare arrangements.

Senator Cameron interjecting—