Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

That was the third time that the straight-talking Leader of the Opposition was asked whether he would back Senator Joyce as the finance spokesman for the coalition at the next election. And then, the fourth time he was asked, ‘Can you guarantee Barnaby’s place?’ he said, ‘Look, I, me, this is the team I will take to the next election.’ That was No. 4. Talk about the ring of confidence and all of that! But I presume that what we have here is the Leader of the Opposition backing in Barnaby Joyce, responsible global economic statesman personified.

What we have here is capital-R risk: risk represented in the Leader of the Opposition, who says he has no interest in economics; risk in the judgment of the Leader of the Opposition in appointing Senator Joyce to this position; and risk to the economy writ large. We know that Senator Joyce is for the high jump. It is plain from the statements by the Leader of the Opposition this morning that he is going to be cut down as soon as we get out of this place, but once that happens—can I just say—what lies very deeply imprinted in the minds of the Australian public is: what could have possessed the Leader of the Opposition to have made Senator Joyce a member of the crack economic team of the alternative government of Australia? In the history of this parliament, they have together the worst economic frontbench that an opposition has ever served up. It stands for all to see.

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