Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to her statement yesterday that, after she learned in August 1995 of the AWU's investigations into Bruce Wilson's misuse of funds in Victoria, she did not alert the union about the AWU Workplace Reform Association because she had no knowledge of wrongdoing. Given that the Prime Minister knew of the allegations about misuse of funds in Victoria, why didn't the Prime Minister alert the AWU to the existence of the association in Western Australia so that it could be investigated and a further fraud averted?

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

I again refer the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to my answers yesterday, which were correct and truthful answers. I also refer her to the answer I gave to her last question, in which I said that the premise she is trying to create about the association and knowledge of it in the public domain is not correct. I refer her once again to the advertising of the incorporation of this association in the West Australian.

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

On a point of order, Madam Speaker: how can that reference be relevant when it does not refer to the AWU slush fund? Or was that also advertised in the West Australian newspaper in 1992?

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

The Manager of Opposition Business is now also warned! Coming to the dispatch box to abuse points of order will not be tolerated.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker—the point of order goes to a misleading of the Australian people which has been at the heart of the opposition's case, and clearly the member for Sturt does not even understand the issue. I did not create a fund, I did not create a bank account, I did not deal with a bank account. I have said that clearly on the public record. I provided legal advice on the incorporation of an association, and I am pointing the parliament to the advertising of that incorporation. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to interject across the table, why does he not have the guts to get up and ask a question?