Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. I refer the Deputy Prime Minister to reports that the Minister for Trade has directed bureaucrats in his department to contact bureaucrats in other departments to find out what is going on within the government. Isn’t it an amateur hour government when the trade minister has to plead with his own bureaucrats to stay in touch with other bureaucrats because in this government it is the gang of four that makes all the decisions?

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

I thank the shadow Treasurer for his question and note that it is based on the normal level of research the opposition does for question time. That is, they get out the newspapers, have a little read of them, spot an article, get out the scissors, clip it out and then bring it in and base the question on it. It is an act of pure genius that they are capable of reading the newspapers. I do not want to deny the shadow Treasurer an answer to his question based on his cut and paste, so the answer is as follows: the Minister for Trade attended a meeting of senior departmental staff of his department on 10 May in Canberra. He spoke to those staff and addressed a range of policy issues. As part of those remarks I understand that the minister urged the officials of his department to engage more closely with other departments and become more active in the policy development process and that is a good thing.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

Order! The member for North Sydney has already asked his question.

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

The shadow Treasurer may want to just listen for one moment about his cut and paste. I am advised that the Sydney Morning Herald report of the minister’s remarks is not accurate. The shadow Treasurer may want to listen to that. The problem with cut and paste and the lack of original research is once again on display.