House debates Questions without Notice
Liberal Party
Bob McMullan Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations
2:25 pm
My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. I refer to the joint operational arrangements for the BCA-ACCI campaign and specifically to the fact that the campaign director is chief Liberal strategist Mark Textor, the operations director is former senior Liberal Mr Tony Barry and the campaign committee includes former Liberal advisers Peter Anderson and Brett Hogan. I also refer to the fact that Crosby Textor, run by former Liberal Party director Lynton Crosby, is conducting the campaign. What guarantees can the Prime Minister provide that these Liberal Party operatives have not and will not have access to taxpayer funded opinion poll research?
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The government will not be funding any business campaigns any more than we will be funding any union campaigns.
Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations
Mr Brendan O’Connor interjecting
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The member allows me to make this comparison: the big difference with the links between the Australian Labor Party and the union movement is that the union movement run the Australian Labor Party. They have delegates at major party conferences. The campaign director for the union movement’s campaign—
Wayne Swan Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
I rise on a point of order, which goes to relevance.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Hello, we don’t like this, do we!
Wayne Swan Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
The question was about taxpayer funded research.
David Hawker Speaker
I remind the member for Lilley that the member for Fraser asked a fairly long question and the Prime Minister is responding to that question.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
It is well known that members of the trade union movement dominate ALP conferences. Members of the Business Council are not delegates to Liberal Party conferences. The campaign director for the trade union movement against Work Choices is none other than the Labor Party candidate for what is the seat of Shortland in the upcoming federal election. Any attempt to draw some kind of link between the Liberal Party and this campaign is absolute nonsense.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education and Training
I rise on a point of order. All he had to do was tell us when he handed over the research.