Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I direct the minister to the fact that we are actually talking about the appropriations bill and the appropriation of taxpayers’ money. In those circumstances I think the Australian taxpayers, through this parliament, have got a right to know what their money is being spent on—that, of course, is the essence of having the budget process. I ask the minister again to answer the questions he did not answer that time. I understand the only answer I got to my questions that time was that the minister had undertaken to the parliament to supply the opposition with the exact figure for the advertising space used for the first tranche of the industrial relations advertising. The figure known to the opposition to date is $4.1 million. We look forward to receipt of the accurate figure, which the minister has undertaken to provide. I ask the minister to also undertake that he will supply to the opposition the costs of the market research, creative work, preproduction and production of the advertisements in that first tranche of advertising.

Secondly, I ask the minister to verify whether there will be a second tranche of advertising. Various statements from the government have certainly publicly indicated there will be a second tranche of advertising. If there is to be a second tranche of advertising, what is it going to cost? That is a figure that ought to be known to the government. If it is not known to the minister now then the minister can undertake to provide it in this place before it rises this evening. It ought not to be a hard figure to ascertain. It is not a confidential or secret figure; it is a figure that taxpayers have got a right to know. It is a very simple question: how much is the government intending to spend on the second tranche of industrial relations advertising?

Finally, will there be further tranches of advertising after the second tranche? So, can we have the other costs of the first tranche; can you tell us what the figure is for the second tranche; and will there be further tranches of advertising after that? Can the minister also direct this parliament’s attention to where this appropriation is made in the budget papers? Simple question. Under the Westminster system, this is the minister’s responsibility; this is the parliament. We are having the appropriations debate. We are entitled to ask questions about the appropriations. We are entitled to expect that they will be reasonably and fully answered.

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