Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer and it refers to an answer he gave a couple of moments ago on the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook. Is the Treasurer aware that on economic performance the yearbook concluded that, on the current account balance, Australia was ranked 41st out of 61 countries; on export of goods as a percentage of GDP Australia was ranked 54th out of 61 countries; on trade to GDP ratio Australia was ranked 57th of the 61 countries; on the real short-term interest rate Australia was ranked 45th out of 61 countries; on overall productivity—real growth—Australia was ranked 54th out of 61 countries; and on skill shortages, on qualified engineers, Australia was ranked 39th out of 61 countries? Treasurer, how does it feel having Australia ranked 54th out of 61 countries in export performance on your watch as the minister responsible for boosting this country’s export performance?

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