House debates Questions without Notice
Prime Minister
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
2:50 pm
I refer the Prime Minister to the claim that Bruce Wilson instructed an AWU employee, Wayne Hem, to deposit $5,000 into a personal account in the Prime Minister's name and the confirmation last night from Wilson, who said: 'I do not argue with that.' As the Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to categorically deny that she received those funds, will she do so now?
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
I have dealt with those claims previously. I have dealt with them in here and I have dealt with them outside the parliament. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is at the bottom of the mud bucket now and she does not actually have any new mud left. The problem for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is that she and the Leader of the Opposition came into this parliament with a strategy of smear. Together, they got the mud. They used the old Liberal Party dirt file and added to it.
Ms Anna Burke Deputy-Speaker
The Prime Minister will return to the question.
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
The strategy was that the Leader of the Opposition would be quiet as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition threw the mud. Here we are on day 3 and it is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition who is covered in mud, but it is time that the Leader of the Opposition took personal responsibility. (Time expired)