Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to an answer to an earlier question on child care from the member for Warringah to the Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister replied in part in relation to the cost of child care:

We will be watching prices, and we are putting operators on notice that, if any evidence emerges of unfair pricing practices, the government will be ready to use the powers at its disposal to deal with the matter.

Will the Prime Minister explain what powers the Deputy Prime Minister is referring to? What plan does the government have to control the price of child care, and does it involve price fixing?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is remarkable about the Liberal Party is where they actually always stand up either in defence of the consumers or in the defence of those who are providing cost to consumers.

Whether it is in terms of the private health industry, whether it is in terms of big oil companies, whether it is in terms of large supermarkets, we have a party in this parliament—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Prime Minister was asked a question about a plan announced by the Deputy Prime Minister—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for North Sydney will not repeat the question. If the point of order is relevance, the Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a further point of order, Mr Speaker, about disorderly conduct. We have had over 250 points of order from those opposite. The Prime Minister had just begun his answer and the point of order was clearly designed to disrupt—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat and the member for North Sydney will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can take the posture of those opposite, which is to hoist up the white flag and say: ‘You can do nothing about this. You can just sit back and allow any cost impost to be thrown onto consumers.’ Or you can stand up for working families, working Australians and those doing it tough.

The Labor Party stands up for the people under financial pressure at the moment. Those opposite, it seems, have the opposite resolve. I stand by the comments made before by the Deputy Prime Minister.