Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy President, don't tell me that they don't have people across there who are sitting there, fingers crossed, hoping that they're not going to get caught in this whole saga. But let's return to Senator Wong.

Senator Wong aspires to be the Foreign Minister of this country, but she has some serious explaining to do. It is unprecedented to use the officers of a foreign power to undermine a properly elected government. I remind Senator Wong that the Turnbull government was properly elected, and there are some questions that she has to answer. When did your chief of staff first discuss this matter with his labour counterparts in the New Zealand Labour Party? Did he seek your approval to make this contact? What was his purpose in making the contact? When did he tell you he had done this? What was the content of the conversation with Mr Hipkins? Did your chief of staff report that conversation back to you? Did your chief of staff help formulate the question that was asked in the New Zealand parliament? When did you first know that this was to be raised in the New Zealand parliament?

Senator Wong, you can't just adopt the Sergeant Schultz defence, 'I know nothing', which is precisely what she came in here to allege to this Senate. Are you seriously telling us that you had no idea about the actions of your chief of staff? Your closest and most trusted adviser contacts a sitting Labour member of the New Zealand parliament, and you, the shadow minister for foreign affairs, have absolutely no idea about it!

Let me remind you, Senator Wong, that politics is about perception. I can tell you that the perception out there is that you are not being truthful with the Australian public.

Both the New Zealand government and the New Zealand Labour Party have condemned what has transpired. The New Zealand Labour Party have admitted that it was wrong; it was unacceptable; it should never have happened. If they can judge what was wrong, unacceptable and should never have happened, why didn't Senator Wong take on the same judgement? The New Zealand government has been embarrassed by this, and the conduct of New Zealand Labour has been called into question. We find that the Australian Labor Party, through Senator Wong, has been put up to it. Can Senator Wong explain how using a foreign government's parliament to undermine the Deputy Prime Minister of our country is merely 'unwise'? (Time expired)