Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

If the senator is asking, 'Did the global financial crisis happen?', the answer is yes. If the senator is asking, 'Did the government go into deficit so as to ensure that we could put stimulus into the economy to save jobs and prevent the country going into recession?', the answer is yes. If the senator is asking, 'Was this government responsible for ensuring that 200,000 Australians and their families were not put on the dole queues because we chose to put stimulus into the economy?', then the answer is yes. And, Senator Joyce, your party made the wrong call on that occasion and you are making the wrong call now. The senator cannot come in here and ask me questions about debt and deficit while his side—