Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

The government is focused on the public interest. That is what we're focused on. Banks fulfil a very important function in our economy. Banks are facilitators in our economy, and for us to be as successful as we can be we do need strong, profitable, well-regulated, stable banks. From time to time—and there are, of course, examples in recent years—things in all sorts of sectors of the economy go the wrong way. There's bad behaviour and there's bad conduct that needs to be addressed. Sometimes there are systemic issues that need to be addressed in a more systemic way. There is an inquiry, which has not yet presented its findings. The findings are yet to be presented, and the recommendations are yet to be presented. I can assure Senator Georgiou that, when the findings and recommendations of the royal commission into the banks come forward, the government will carefully consider them and will make judgements and decisions focused 100 per cent on the public interest.