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

As I said yesterday, the Australian commercial property sector employs about 150,000 people whose jobs will be under threat if the sector is forced to abandon projects due to the loss of finance. So 150,000 Australian workers and their families, honest hardworking Australians—plumbers, builders carpenters and electricians—will lose their income and their livelihoods should the commercial property sector go to the wall, as those opposite seem quite happy to see happen. Those opposite and their leader are short-term political opportunists. It seems that the Leader of the Opposition’s favourite policies to oppose are those that make an effort to support the jobs of Australians. I ask once again, Mr President—