Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh is right: when Australian families sit down tonight at their kitchen tables, they will have to use their imagination, because Dr Chalmers, the member for Rankin, the new Labor Treasurer, has not presented them with a plan. As Australian families gather tonight to think about how they plan for rising levels of inflation in this country, guess what they do? They do it in the absence of knowing what the government's plan is.

It's been 10 weeks since the election, and we had an economic statement today which, by Labor's Speaker's own admission in the House of Representatives, was a political statement. It was not a ministerial statement and did not meet the requirements of the House of Representatives standing orders.

We need a plan in this country to deal with rising levels of inflation. We need a plan in this country to deal with productivity reform. We need a plan in this country to deal with cost-of-living pressures. We need a plan in this country that will address labour shortages. We need a plan in this country that will deal with our own domestic supply issues. There was no plan. A few days ago, Dr Chalmers said he wanted to use today's occasion to paint a picture. Well, this country does not need Dr Chalmers to be van Gogh. What this country needs is an architect who will build an economic plan.

The foundations that were left to Labor were strong: a historically low unemployment rate—Senator Ayres, are you laughing about the low level of unemployment in this country? I thought you were a union man. There is no plan. Australians gather tonight in their homes having no idea what comes next.