Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Market caps are a pretty blunt instrument to go on because there are all sorts of other types of financing banks go into apart from equity, but it is a value of the bank based on the issue holder's equity and, listed on a stock market, it changes all the time. However, it's a fundamental principle that, for a bank half the size, it's going to be twice as difficult to pay the same fine as a bigger bank. I will leave it at that and let the Senate decide.

I'll just finish by saying that I can't get this vision of a teddy bear out of my mind, Senator O'Neill. Something warm and cosy that helps you sleep at night; that's what this is. We're putting the offer to the Senate to put a brown, black or grizzly bear in bed with these bank CEOs when they go to bed at night-time, and I would urge the Senate to think about that and support the Greens amendments.