Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. I refer to his remarks in this House on 9 August 2007. He said:

It is traditional in the economic debate about the relationship between government spending and interest rates to focus on the quantity of government spending, the size of the surplus and the size of the deficit. That is vital; it is very important, but there is another dimension which is often overlooked—that is, the quality of government spending. What is that money being spent on? Quantity is obviously vital and the settings are vital but so too is the quality.

The question is this: does the minister stand by this statement and, if so, how does he reconcile it with his answer earlier today in which he made it clear that the $14 billion primary schools assembly hall program was undertaken solely because the money could be spent quickly?

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