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

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for North Sydney from moving the following motion forthwith: That this House calls on the Treasurer to immediately attend the House to answer the following questions before the Parliament:

(1) why the government is seeking to lift Australia’s borrowing limit from $200 billion to $250 billion and what is the justification; and

(2) why the government wants to remove the ‘special circumstances’ restriction for borrowing.

This is a matter of urgency because the Treasurer was just on the AM program stating emphatically that the opposition was not going to be picking up on this matter. But, unlike the Treasurer, we are focused on getting the facts right. Unlike the Treasurer, we are focused—

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

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: the opposition have had every opportunity to debate the budget. They have an opportunity tonight to put forward their alternative.

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

Order! There is no point of order.

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

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Question put.

The House divided. [9:06]

(The Speaker—Mr Harry Jenkins)

Question negatived.

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

Is the motion seconded?

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek to second the motion. Australia needs a Treasurer with a steady hand.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I seek clarification: is the member seconding the motion or is he seeking—

Opposition members interjecting—

He did not say that, Mr Speaker. The motion has not been seconded; he has not seconded it.

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

I asked for a seconder. The member for Goldstein has the call.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government and this Treasurer are trying to tell Australia that they are paying off the debt and the deficit—

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

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Question put.

The House divided.   [9:19]

(The Speaker—Mr Harry Jenkins)

Question negatived.

This is just a further example of how disengaged the opposition are from the economic debate in this country. We have been completely transparent about this. The need to increase the government borrowing limit was outlined in the budget papers.

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

In the budget papers!

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

Who did you have in the lock-up? Were you in the lock-up? They cannot even read the budget papers. They sat there for six hours.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I seek clarification from you as to what particular motion the Leader of the House is speaking to. The motion is actually that so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would allow a motion to be put. In fact, he is just giving a rhetorical flourish which has no bearing whatsoever on the motion before the chair.

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

The motion before the House is a motion for the suspension of standing and sessional orders to do certain matters. The debate should centre around the reasons for either supporting or opposing the suspension.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his consistent view that 'suspension' debates should be about the suspension of standing orders. I look forward to the upholding of that ruling, Mr Speaker, when further points of order are made during suspension motions. It is the case that we do not need to suspend standing orders because they have had every opportunity in question time yesterday and when legislation was introduced into the parliament on Tuesday and they will have an opportunity in question time again today. What was scheduled for debate at 9 am, with proper notice having been given, was for the Minister for Defence to give an important statement to this parliament about Afghanistan—a ministerial statement—with a response from the shadow minister. That is what was to go on.

Mr Hockey interjecting—

So we are going to make Afghanistan a partisan issue now, Shadow Treasurer? The fact is that is what was scheduled and that is the debate that should occur. Those opposite have not got the wit to read a budget paper, having been given six hours and then two days to read the budget papers and legislation. I was here in the chamber, sitting next to the Assistant Treasurer, when he moved the legislation that was required for this measure. The opposition were here: one of their key people, the member for Mackellar, was here at the table; one of their key procedural organisational geniuses was here when it was moved. But was there a response yesterday? No. Were there any questions in question time yesterday? No. What they do is come here and seek to waste time by moving a suspension of standing orders, because we know that when it gets to question time they probably will not have any questions to be asked. We know that this opposition have rejected question time and that at every question time at 10 to three they move a motion to suspend standing orders so the Leader of the Opposition can get some TV time before PlaySchool comes on at three o'clock in the afternoon on ABC1. So because of that they come in here and move this suspension. It should be rejected.

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

Order! The time allotted for the debate has expired.

Question put:

That the motion (Mr Hockey's) be agreed to.

The House divided. [9.30 am]

(The Speaker—Mr Harry Jenkins)

Question negatived.