Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I refer to the Prime Minister’s answer to my previous question—a question which asked, ‘Was the Treasury secretary right when he said that the government’s policy outcomes in relation to water reform and climate change would have been far superior if the Treasury’s views had been more influential?’—and the Prime Minister’s answer to that question, which was no, he did not think that the Treasury secretary was right. Will the Prime Minister inform the House whether he believes that the following remarks from the Secretary to the Department of the Treasury are right as well, when he warned Treasury officers that:

Divisions will now be under pressure to respond to the growing number of policy proposals leading up to the calling of an election and once the election is called. At this time there is a greater than usual risk of the development of policy proposals that are frankly bad.

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