Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Did the Prime Minister inform union officials last week that she did not support the Roy Hill agreement and had not been informed about it?

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

On Friday last week I did meet with some union officials and talked about the Roy Hill enterprise migration agreement and talked about circumstances involving Australian jobs. I also on Friday last week met with the Minister for Immigration and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and we discussed the jobs board and its interconnection with enterprise migration agreements—that is, making sure that Australians who are on the jobs board can have the opportunity to be considered first for the many jobs that will flow from the huge mining boom that our country is experiencing—and we discussed additional monitoring and oversight of enterprise migration agreements.

On my briefing about—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume her seat. The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, it was a pretty simple question. Did the Prime Minister tell union officials that she did not support the Roy Hill agreement and that she was not informed about it? I think the House deserves an answer—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is answering the question and has the call.

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

I have answered both of those questions in the House today, and no amount of screaming by the opposition changes those facts. The facts I have explained to the House today are the facts I have explained to everyone: I was briefed on my return from Chicago. Of course I support the creation of Australian jobs. I want to see more than 6,000 jobs created for Australians at Roy Hill, and we will always support arrangements to put Australian jobs first. We know we will always face the relentless negativity of the opposition when we do so because the Leader of the Opposition has never in this parliament stood up for Australian jobs—not during the global financial crisis, not for steelmakers, not for auto workers—and he never will.