The National Party Senators today said that what was a nefarious eclectic of issues cobbled together as a so-called “stimulus package” and then with disturbing pressure-salesman tactics forced on to the Australian people for a price tag that would ultimately lead to a $200 billion debt has been defeated.

Senator Barnaby Joyce, the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate said the Nationals looked forward to a change in attitude from the Prime Minister, Mr Rudd.

“Mr Rudd must immediately engage with all parties in an open and sincere manner to put together a stimulus package that may actually have the capacity of delivering an outcome to the Australian people,” Senator Joyce said.

“The fiasco that this whole process encapsulated sits firmly on the head of Mr Rudd and the Labor Government. It is nobody else’s fault but their own. How you could possibly plan for the payment of $200 billion worth of debt on the Nation’s credit card with two bullet points on page 5 of the Updated Economic And Fiscal Outlook booklet defies belief.

“A package with the nefarious eclectic of boomgates, ceiling insulation and random payments would have surprised most if it had ever passed. The emails that the National Party members have received have been overwhelming in wishing that this trajectory to destitution as offered by Mr Rudd and the Labor Government be rejected.

“It is an insult when one considers the time that was given to the Senate inquiry for deliberation on this issue. The gun-to-the-head salesman approach both to the Australian people and others in the Senate chamber and other later intonations that were placed on its passage by such people as Mr Rudd, meant that not only did the package become totally fiscally irresponsible but was morally bankrupt.

“The Labor Government now feigning some contrived injury have only one job to do and that is to become positively engaged in the process in such a way that delivers an outcome but they must engage in a civil, balanced and diligent process. No chance of that because they have apparently given us 15 hours to reconsider the issue.”