Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

What we have just heard comes from a Leader of the Opposition who says that economics is boring. The Leader of the Opposition used to work for Mr John Hewson, and Mr Hewson is well known for saying that this Leader of the Opposition is ‘essentially innumerate’—in other words, he cannot count. The previous Treasurer, Mr Costello, is well known for saying that you could not have Mr Abbott as the deputy leader because he does not understand economics. Yet this Leader of the Opposition has the audacity to come in here today and talk about risk.

This Leader of the Opposition presents enormous risk to the Australian people because he thinks that economics is boring, he cannot count and he has demonstrated today that he has not one policy that he is prepared to put up. He did not say one positive thing today in this matter of public importance debate, which is supposed to be about families. I do not think he even used the word ‘family’ in his whole 15-minute rave. It is extraordinary.

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