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Rudd's stimulus package passes in Australia's Parliament

Business Materials 13 February 2009 06:57 (UTC +04:00)

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 42-billion-Australian-dollar (27-billion-US-dollar) spending package passed in the upper house of the federal Parliament on Friday after being voted down 24 hours earlier.

   Despite the opposition Liberal Party again voting against the enabling legislation, Labor finally won the support of independent lawmakers and now has the bill through both houses of parliament.

   The massive stimulus package would put the government deeply into debt but Rudd argues it is necessary to stop the economy falling into recession.

   In October, Rudd spent 10.4 billion Australian dollars on one-off payments to low-income families, first-time house buyers and pensioners.

   The latest stimulus package includes a 14-billion-Australian-dollar programme to renovate schools and provide free roof-cavity insulation for 2.7 million homes.

   The Liberals argued that the second package was too big and that tax cuts were more appropriate than cash hand-outs.

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