The new Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Bill Shorten, has given a fleeting insight into how he believes the Government will need to operate in navigating policy through the delicately balanced Parliament.
In his first address in his new portfolio to a statistical conference, Shorten pointed to how important it would be for the Government to underpin its policy initiatives with hard, statistical facts.
“The recent outcome of the Federal elections will further cement the importance of statistics in informed policy decision making,” he said.
“The Gillard Government will need to negotiate outcomes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and will need to rely heavily on evidence-based policy and, in turn, quality statistics to help it support negotiations,” Shorten said.
