Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I did note that the question specifically referred to the global financial turmoil and Australia’s responses to it, so I think that I am perfectly entitled to discuss all of the question, not just the one bit that those opposite choose to try to put an emphasis on. I thank you for your ruling because what I was discussing before this spurious point of order was the role of the merchant banking industry. There is now a new Leader of the Opposition who proudly claims his economic credentials as a merchant banker. It is the very merchant banking industry which has brought the world’s global financial sector to its knees. Even today, the last two remnants, Goldman Sachs—