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

My question is also addressed to the Acting Prime Minister. Will the government support the coalition’s plan for real action to address excessive executive salaries by changing the law—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Those on my right will come to order!

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

I will ask the question again. Will the government support the coalition’s plan for real action to address excessive executive salaries by changing the law to make the shareholders vote on executive remuneration binding on the directors as opposed to being merely advisory as it is under the law at present?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. When a poacher turns gamekeeper then I am always interested in what they have got to say. If a poacher turned gamekeeper now has a policy he believes should be considered and is going to remain the policy of the opposition for more than 24 hours at a time, I am happy to say that we will consider it, because of course we know that what they say today they deny tomorrow and they invent again on the third day and by the fourth day and the fifth day they are on another part of the cycle. But if this is a policy that is going to last, unlike excise reductions on petrol and the like, I am happy to say we will consider it and it is with some relish that I look forward to this poacher turned gamekeeper giving us his policy.