John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Wong. In these closing stages of the International Year of Co-operatives, with the United Nations and other international bodies promoting the expansion and support of cooperatives across the world, can she advise what concrete support—and by concrete I do not mean the token gesture of a commemorative coin and stamp that are not even available to the general public—the government has given to Australian cooperatives that will enable them to grow and survive in what is becoming an increasingly uncompetitive free market economy dominated by multinational corporations?