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

I simply draw his attention to the fact that dealing responsibly with the problem of short selling, given the volatility of markets at present, is important. That is what the government has done through the long-term legislation it has already foreshadowed. That is why ASIC took the action it did over the course of Friday and the weekend. Had it not done so in the manner in which it did, it would have left Australian financial markets grossly exposed today. That would be irresponsible. The government was not prepared to countenance that.

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