House debates Questions without Notice

Gillard Government

Wednesday, 29 February 2012 House of Representatives

Ms Julie Bishop

Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition

2:45 pm

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of the statement of the Minister for Resources and Energy, who said:

[The faceless men are] at work today and they'll be at work in the future because they just cannot help themselves.

Doesn't the veto of her choice of Bob Carr as foreign minister by the faceless men of the caucus simply prove that the resources minister is right?

Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister

2:46 pm

To the Deputy Leader of the Opposition let me say, as I said to the earlier questions, 'Don't believe everything you read.' Since then I have been corrected by my colleagues: I should have said that there should be more focus by the opposition on the useless men and women over there.