Senator CAMERON (New South Wales) (15:08): It is a bit rich to be lectured by Senator Joyce and the coalition on either climate change or economics. It is even richer to be lectured on economics by Senator Joyce, the shortest-serving shadow finance minister in the history of this parliament. How long did he last? Not very long. The Leader of the Opposition actually put him in there because he was supposed to be a great retail politician. I am not sure about the argument of being a great retail politician. He certainly is not an economist. He certainly has no capacity to deal in a rational way with the economic issues important to this country. You only have to look at Senator Joyce last week, out there trying to oppose foreign investment in the farming sector of this country—opposing foreign investment in a farm that was in liquidation. Senator Joyce has absolutely no credibility when he stands up here and talks about economic issues, and I have to say neither has the coalition. We heard these arguments on economics today, but you only have to go back to the failed economics of the Howard government. The Howard government were absolute economic vandals. They presided over one of the biggest boom periods this country has ever enjoyed. The money was flowing into that government hand over fist, so what did they do? It was tax cut after tax cut with absolutely no strategy, no economic basis— Senator Fifield: We had a surplus—a smaller boom and a surplus! Senator CAMERON: I will take the interjection about a surplus. It was like winning the pools: the money was flowing in. You have to have money in the bank when you win the pools. It is not about economic credibility. It is not about a surplus when you win the pools. The money was flying in hand over fist, and all you guys did was let money flow out as quickly as ever. You just have to look at Peter Costello, whom you worked for, Senator Fifield. Peter Costello did not have the backbone or credibility within the coalition to actually stand up to John Howard on what he thought was the right thing to do: to stop that tsunami of spending that took place. Senator Fifield: What have you done? Senator CAMERON: I will take that interjection as well. What have we done? We kept this country out of a recession because of the global financial crisis. That is what we did. You did not face a global financial crisis. It has been wiped off the history of the country by the coalition as if the global financial crisis never happened. We actually did something for the country. What you did was for your political position and trying to win votes. Even Senator Sinodinos accepts that. Senator Sinodinos was there when he called it 'a lucky dip'. The budget was a lucky dip under the coalition. It was about 'What can we dole out to what group who might vote for us?' It was not about economic credibility, and I always have a bit of a laugh when I hear them standing up here trying to defend the economic position of the Howard government. You were economic incompetents. You were an economic rabble. You did nothing to build the future of this country. You did nothing for public schools in this country. The state school system was ignored. You did nothing on climate change even though you were supposed to be doing something, even though all the evidence before you was that something had to be done. For pure political reasons you did not deal with the big challenges for this nation. Why? Because you are economic incompetents and political pariahs in this country. That is what the coalition are. You have not got an economic brain in your head, so don't lecture us about economics. You were a failed government on economics. The history of this nation will make it clear you were economic failures.