Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I agree with Senator Alex White that a debate is needed on a third banking force and investment bank. My party has been quite clear that, as is the case in the United Kingdom, it should be a green investment bank. The difference between aspiration and policy is that with aspiration, one lacks the detail of stating what are the new ideas, what level of investment is needed and what are the desired outcomes. I would argue that Opposition parties' documents lack this and are aspirational rather then fully fledged policies. Moreover, the Government's smart economy document at least details what can be done.

What should be done in a debate is not merely to indulge in mom and apple pie rhetoric but to outline the hard decisions that will be taken and the unpopular decisions that must be taken if in government.