Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, representing the Special Minister of State. Is the minister aware of a report in today’s Sydney Morning Herald that a pensioner made a $75,000 donation to the New South Wales Labor Party? Why would the Labor Party want to take this much money from a pensioner? Will the minister investigate to ensure that the person in question really was entitled to the pension and will the minister consider referring this matter to the Electoral Commission as a possible case of the use of a dummy donor by the New South Wales Labor Party?

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, any allegations about fraud or misuse of pension entitlements are matters that should be referred to Centrelink. Second, any questions about the propriety of donations are ultimately matters for, in that case, the state secretary of the Labor Party. I am not aware of the detail of the report, but ultimately it is a matter for the organisation that is responsible for the donation. Therefore, it is a matter for the party organisation as to whether there is anything untoward with respect to the donation. It is certainly not something that I as minister for finance have a role in directly investigating.