Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to her statement yesterday on the misuse of AWU funds and to the statutory declaration of former AWU Victoria president Bob Kernohan in 2010 that:

I was informed by Bob Smith, with Bill Shorten present, that some thousands of dollars were paid illegally from union funds, by Wilson, for house renovations to Julia Gillard's property.

Can the Prime Minister guarantee that no funds from any union— (Time expired)

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the expiry of the time, I am not actually sure if the Deputy Leader of the Opposition asked a question, but let me endeavour to answer it. I will start by making the observation that yesterday the Leader of the Opposition thought he could sit in this parliament with a cloak of invisibility around him. What was visible to every member of the Australian public was his dirt file. Here we are again today with the dirt file—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Prime Minister was asked whether she could guarantee no AWU slush funds were used for her home renovations. She needs to answer that question.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has just commenced her answer. She will refer to the question. I will be listening carefully.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we see the opposition move files around the chamber, let us just remind ourselves that yesterday the Leader of the Opposition, despite his silence, brought his dirt file to the chamber. Here we are today dealing with the opposition's dirt file. We are dealing with the opposition's dirt file because this is a man who has no policies for the nation's future and so he is filling the vacuum with sleaze and smear.

Opposition members interjecting—

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will refer to the question before the chair.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the Deputy Leader of the Opposition's question, I have answered this on a number of occasions. I answered it as early as 1995, and no amount of yelling from the opposition changes that fact. In 1995 I dealt with allegations about renovations on my property. I dealt with them again in 2001. I dealt with them again in 2006. I dealt with them again in 2007 after the Liberal Party shopped around a dirt file on me. I have dealt with them on multiple occasions over the course of this year. I say to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition: check the transcript from yesterday. I stand by that transcript and what I said about my renovations. I stand by the transcript of my press conference in August. I have dealt with these allegations time and time again. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition knows that and ought to check the now very available public record.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table a statutory declaration from Bob Kernohan sworn on 11 August 2010 at the Castlemaine police station.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. I table the very fetching photo of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition—

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will not use props in that manner.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the file that the Leader of the House refers to and the Prime Minister referred to which outlines the—

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will not continue to use the prop.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. We do not need the file; we get the dirt out of their mouths. We get the dirt out of their mouths, except for his—gutless.