Business groups hoped the worst economic performance since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis would be a wake-up call for federal politicians to work together to improve the growth outlook.
So far, they will be disappointed.
The day after the national accounts printed a shock 0.5 per cent contraction in economic growth, the political banter is just as antagonistic.
The government continued to use the first decline in gross domestic product since March 2011 to press home the need for parliament to support its $50 billion plan to cut the corporate tax rate over 10 years.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insists the incremental reduction in the tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent will encourage stronger investment and create more jobs.
Labor, on the other hand, wanted to increase taxes.
"There is not one Labor policy that would encourage any business to invest or employ," Mr Turnbull told reporters during a visit to Armidale, in northern NSW on Thursday.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten hit back, saying there are a number of levers the government has got to help generate genuine economic growth and full-time jobs.
"But this government believes in the discredited theory of trickle-down economics where they look after the very rich and don't look after anyone else," he told reporters in Sydney.
Economists believe the surprisingly bad national accounts in which the annual growth rate slowed to 1.8 per cent from 3.1 per cent will be a one-off, rebounding in the December quarter and avoiding two consecutives quarter of negative growth which constitutes a technical recession.
However, they were disappointed new monthly international trade figures released on Thursday showed the deficit unexpectedly winding to $1.5 billion and yet to reflect the recent strong rise in coal and iron ore prices.
What Mr Turnbull doesn't want is people to come to the conclusion the economy is slumping into recession.
"I don't think it's helpful to speculate on that," the prime minister earlier told Melbourne's 3AW radio, describing the decline as a "bump in the road".
Treasurer Scott Morrison hopes it won't take a recession to encourage parliament to support the government's economy-boosting policies.
"I don't wish for a burning platform," he told ABC radio.
"I would certainly hope that it wouldn't be necessary for that sort of terrible result to spur the parliament and others into accepting the important changes that we need."
The government was focused on "strategic investment" such as road, railway, airport and water infrastructure, while explaining the difference between good and bad debt.
"Good debt is when you're investing in things that actually build that capacity," Mr Morrison told Sky News.
"Bad debt is what is happening with what the Labor party is proposing - more recurrent spending, spending more and more tax payer dollars and then having to borrow more and more to pay for that."
But Mr Shorten accused the government of "all talk and no action" when it comes to infrastructure.
