Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

The government benches can shout and scream and try their distraction as much as they like, but these emails that were tabled in the Senate demonstrate that there was only one dealer who received that support and it was John Grant. That was the dealer in respect of which the government proclaim complete ignorance, yet they desperately seek to raise a distraction from the Treasurer’s situation.

Who could imagine any Treasurer surviving—in a government that had any integrity—when he is so manifestly and comprehensively breached the ethical standards? I will quote from the Prime Minister’s ministerial standards:

Ministers must accept the full implications of the principle of ministerial responsibility.

The Treasurer has said, ‘No, I don’t have to worry about that.’ He has no concern about that. He says that it is nothing special. Notwithstanding that it is abundantly plain that everything that he has said in this House about John Grant is false, he says that he has no obligation to step down.

The government can raise distractions about other documents and other emails as much as they like—

See this speech in context