Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the government defying a Senate order today to release the Commission of Audit to the Senate. Prime Minister, what is in this secret report that you will go to any lengths not to tell Western Australians about?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. I am deeply surprised that the Leader of the Opposition somehow believes that something unconscionable has occurred because a Senate order has been made and, as yet, has not been complied with. I am surprised because the Leader of the Opposition was a minister in a government, in the 43rd Parliament, that failed to comply with over 40 Senate orders for the production of documents, including the following key Treasury related orders.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, standing order 104(a) says that an answer must be directly relevant.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If this is a fault on our part, the fault on their part is 40 times greater. This Leader of the Opposition does not just have situational principles, he has temporal principles, because his principles differ in accordance with the time of day, and that is a real problem for someone who wants to be a national leader.