Bellcurve, I could do the research about negative growth quarters but don't have the drive just now...we know that the growth was only about .01% from memory...just enough to consider the economy grew rather than shrank.
But, the real fact to consider is, did the economy really benefit from KRudd's short term hugely expensive HIP program at all? Maybe a few people got a temporary job installing insulation, but did that program really contribute to economic growth? Hardly! That coupled with Gillard's stupid BER ego related program...what a waste of money! There were many other factors that kept the GDP "growth" positive, and much of that was in exports to China.
As has been well publicised the Coalition had considered the program after the New Zealander's experiment, and decided in the nineties it would not be of benefit in any way.
