Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, you know that I am well-known for cooperation. Given the fact that we have had two contributions, that there will be a third and that the time allotted for the debate is about another half an hour, I will take the opportunity to respond to the first two sets of questions now that I have heard them and then we can move on from there.

The member for Fraser, who has just completed his remarks, referred to a number of reports and a number of claims in the reports. He mentioned Access Economics and Allen Consulting. The Leader of the Opposition is on the public record on the Jon Faine program in Melbourne. He said that he thought there could be major savings in the health portfolio, an interesting claim to make and one that this side of the House notes very carefully. I am not aware of any material that this department could provide. I will not waste the time of the Maim Committee other than to say that I will take all of his remarks on notice and to the extent that I can answer them on notice, I will do so.

With respect to the member for Grayndler’s long series of questions which have been read into the Hansard, can I again say I will certainly take those on notice and to the extent that I can provide any information, I will. I have no material that would enable me to add to what the Prime Minister has said in the House. I refer the member for Grayndler to a number of points the Prime Minister made in the House about the costings, the advice and the sequence of that. As I said, I will happily take his very specific questions on notice and to the extent that I am able to provide an answer, I will.

I point out to the member for Grayndler that it is interesting that he is raising these questions in this debate when he did not raise them in the House today. I also make the point that, when the member for Grayndler and those opposite spoke about these issues, they merely confirmed to the Australian people their complete inability to make policy in key areas that are of vital importance to the Australian people.

The member for Grayndler will also know from following debate in the House of Representatives that the issue of Kirribilli was well highlighted by a number of government ministers, the Prime Minister included, particularly with respect to its use by former Prime Minister Hawke and former minister Graham Richardson. He would note that passages were quoted from a book by Marian Wilkinson entitled The Fixer: The untold biography of Graham Richardsonunless I stand corrected.

The member for Grayndler listened to those quotations which confirmed that, unlike the function the Prime Minister hosted which was not a fundraiser, the fundraising at Kirribilli occurred solely under Prime Minister Hawke and that the figures that were expected—if I remember the quotes from Marian Wilkinson’s book The Fixerwere $10,000, $20,000 or up to $100,000. The House should note that the member for Grayndler has not, to my knowledge, said one thing about his view on that matter. Have you criticised former Prime Minister Hawke or former Minister Richardson? No. There is silence. That absolutely highlights the complete hypocrisy of the member for Grayndler and of those opposite when they talk on this issue.

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