Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the Fair Work Australia investigation into the member for Dobell. Will the Prime Minister assure the House that the member for Dobell did not have any discussion about the investigation with either herself or her office?

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

Heavens above! It has really come to this—nothing to say about the economy, no commitment to a surplus. When the member walked to the dispatch box, I thought she might be asking a question about child care, which would have enabled me to inform the House that there is more childcare support for working families than ever before. But, no, of course the muckraking continues because this is an opposition with—

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will return to the substance of the question.

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

I will, Mr Speaker. But this is an opposition with no plans for the economy, no plans for working families, no plans for a surplus—and it is written all over their tactics.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will become directly relevant.

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

On the question, I have made it perfectly clear that these matters are for the independent umpire, Fair Work Australia. I know the opposition has no regard for the independence of Fair Work Australia or the police—

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

On a point of order, Mr Speaker: the Prime Minister is not being directly relevant. The Prime Minister was not asked a question about Fair Work Australia; she was asked a question about the relationships and discussions that have taken place between herself and her office and the member for Dobell—a matter she can directly answer.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I invite the Prime Minister to address the substance of the question.

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

I say again that this matter is being investigated by Fair Work—

Opposition members interjecting—

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will be heard in complete silence and anyone who interrupts the Prime Minister during the answer to this important question will join the member for Longman—and that refers to people on both sides of the chamber.

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

The matter is being investigated by Fair Work Australia, an independent body. That is proper. It should reach its own conclusions in the way it best sees fit and the opposition should stop this campaign of trying to stand over the independent umpire, just as we saw them try to stand over the police last year.

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

Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to the Prime Minister's answer to that question. Given the serious matters under investigation and her stated desire to remove all perceptions of bias, will the Prime Minister publicly release all correspondence, emails and file notes or records of telephone conversations between her government, Fair Work Australia and the member for Dobell, and any other relevant documents?

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

I say to the opposition that they embarrassed themselves last year when they went too far making allegations about contact between my office and Fair Work Australia, with those allegations shown to be wholly untrue. They embarrassed themselves yesterday in question time—or perhaps it was the day before—by going back to matters which were dealt with in Senate estimates in October last year. I say to the opposition that it is time they stopped embarrassing themselves with this muckraking and actually got on to something relevant to working people.