House debates Questions without Notice
AWU Leadership
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
2:40 pm
My question is to the Treasurer. Does the Treasurer stand by his effusive remarks last week about the leadership of the Australian Workers Union? Does he agree with former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s comments today about factional leaders and their role within the Labor Party, ‘We the ALP are at our best when they are at their least.’ Will the Treasurer rebuke the AWU for describing one of his frontbench colleagues as ‘a dishonourable rat’?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The Treasurer will resume his seat. The question is out of order.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I put it to you that I asked about remarks the Treasurer himself made last week, he is accountable for his remarks and therefore we are entitled to question him about them.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
And I am entitled to be consistent that, when they are outside a person’s ministerial responsibilities, whether they have been said or not, I will rule the questions out of order.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Mr Speaker, further to the point of order: I put it to you that as the Deputy Prime Minister the Treasurer has wider responsibility than just being Treasurer of the country. As Deputy Prime Minister—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
he is also deputy leader of—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The member for Sturt will resume his place. He will remember that my ruling on that occasion was on the Prime Minister of the time and I am being consistent. At that time, the House indicated to me that they might have had a different view. A very learned member of the crossbenches took me to task on that occasion, and I paid attention to his assertions. But I believe that, if we were to look at the reasons for question time, they are certainly not on the basis of delving into the internal proceedings of political party matters.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Mr Speaker, on a point of order: further to your ruling, it has been the habit of former Speakers to ask the minister if they would like to answer the question, so perhaps you would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he would care to answer the question.