Larry Butler (Independent)

I will be quick about this. It is not fair to say any Government, especially the present Government, is responsible for mishandling the economy when there was a complete collapse of the banking sector and the worldwide economy. A further bad situation resulted when the construction industry bubble burst. That made things much worse for this country. Therefore, the Government had no choice but to support our banking system to ensure our economy could function.

I would be the first to agree we must support small businesses. The only way to get out of the trouble we are in is to support the small entrepreneurial businesses that take on five or ten people. They will be the backbone of the country and get us out of the trouble we are in.

We have gone beyond the blame game. We - and I include the Opposition in this - have reached a reasonable consensus that we must do things together and ensure we put on the green jersey and get the job done. I believe the country will come out of the deep recession it is in.

We have turned a corner. While the economy is still fragile, it is important we bring in strategic budgets over the next four years and ensure we get our deficit down to 3% of GDP and below. It is important the Government takes stimulus measures in these four budgets so that we see growth in the next four years.

It is also important to look at mortgage holders. Banks should take a 20% or 25% stake in the properties of each of the 36,000 householders who are in trouble. That would help to reduce mortgage payments and remove negative equity, which could be sold on if the householder moved. Banks must take responsibility in that regard. The Government has put safeguards in place to ensure people cannot be turfed out of their houses.