Senate inquiry tipped for Thursday start

A key cross-bench senator says an inquiry into the government's $42 billion economic
stimulus package could start on Thursday.
That would enable the Senate to vote on the package by Monday, Senator Nick Xenophon
said.
"I would have thought a delay of 72 hours isn't unreasonable when you consider the
magnitude of what's at stake," he told reporters.
The Senate would be condemned by Australians if it didn't scrutinise the
legislation, he said.
"An inquiry would be a useful exercise to determine what the modelling is, what the
alternatives are, and what the impact will be on the economy."
Senator Xenophon said he expected the inquiry to hear from economists, the welfare
sector and business.
"So we can actually get the full picture."
The government wants its legislation passed by parliament on Thursday to allow
Centrelink and the tax office to meet the deadline for $13 billion in cash payments
to nine million Australians.