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

This is a government that did what was required in the global financial crisis. It put in place a stimulus package that was opposed by those opposite but has led to a situation where we see an Australian economy over 11 per cent larger than when we came to office. Around about 800,000 jobs have been created in this country over the same period that 27 million men and women around the world have joined unemployment queues. We see, in comparison to that, unemployment of 5.4 per cent here in Australia. We see inflation contained and we see interest rates lower than they ever were under the Howard government. But that is not enough. Those opposite want to come in here and, as always, talk down the economy and refuse to recognise the strength of Australia's public finances.