Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I can sense the concerns of some Senators today and the need to reinvent history. My recollection of the events of 30 September was that a number of events had preceded them. There was an ongoing concern about the viability of banks prior to that date, and the Cabinet had several discussions about the policy options open to the Government and the likely consequences of any particular policy option. It is true that the preferred course of action, if a particular set of circumstances arose subsequently, was a bank guarantee, but the events of 30 September were immediate and significant and a particular response was required. They were not preceded by a decision.