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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of the member for Holt's statement that he would inform the House 'if the efficiency dividend and its continued implementation affected operability of the intelligence agencies. I believe that this report establishes that that is now happening and that is completely unacceptable.' I ask the Prime Minister: is the member for Holt right or is the member for Holt wrong? If the member for Holt is wrong, will she remove him as chairman of the ASIO committee?

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

I had the opportunity yesterday to speak to the House about bullyboy conduct in education. Now I am invited to engage in some of that conduct myself. No, I do not agree with the member for Holt, but this is the nation's parliament and what happens in the nation's parliament is that people should be free to come and put a view. It does not mean that I will agree with all of the views put; in fact, sometimes, when we are getting ready for question time or as we are moving towards divisions and I am sitting in the parliament, I listen to some of the contributions made opposite and I have never heard such unmitigated rubbish and nonsense in all my life. But I would always defend their right to come to the parliament and put whatever perspective they want. So, when I listen to the climate change scepticism from those opposite, I think, 'That's their right.' When I listen to others in the parliament put views I do not agree with—

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question was about a statement from the government chairman of the ASIO committee—a rather important personage—and the Prime Minister should answer the question about his statement that the security agency—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has the call.

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

I have indicated the facts of this matter to the parliament. The facts of this matter, as outlined by me, mean I do not agree with the member for Holt. Having said that, this is a democracy. This is the nation's parliament, and I believe that people should be able to come here and put their views. So the Leader of the Opposition is asking me to thug the member for Holt and I will not do so; I am not that kind of person.