Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I am quite happy to tell Senator Di Natale who we have listened to. We have listened to the men and women of Australia representing the Liberal Party and the Nationals here in the Australian parliament, who are representing their communities strongly and effectively; we have listened to many stakeholders inside and outside the parliament in relation to all of the issues that we are addressing in this budget. I would say to Senator Di Natale, in his inaugural parliamentary week as leader of the Greens, that I hope that Senator Di Natale will take a more pragmatic and a more outcomes-focused approach when it comes to engaging with the government, because there are some things that we actually could do together in the national interest. There are some things that we can do together to put Australia on a stronger foundation for the future. There happen to be some outstanding matters from last year's budget where I believe there should be a common understanding about the best way forward. So I am looking forward to working with Senator Di Natale in his new role, in making the best possible decisions in the national interest for our great country. You know, we will not always agree, but I encourage you strongly to take a constructive approach.