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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister that already the former Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, the Senate leader and Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, the Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation, the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry have refused to serve in his government. If a third of the cabinet does not trust the Prime Minister, why should the Australian people?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. As I said yesterday, I honour the contributions which my ministerial colleagues have delivered to Australia, and they have been strong contributions. In this place we all make decisions about whether we wish to continue in political or ministerial life or not. These are personal decisions. Those on the other side of politics will fully recall their own experiences in their own political careers over time. What I am concerned about in this place is whether we are going to degenerate into the old politics of negativity with every question raised by those opposite or whether we have some chance of the politics of hope.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister has concluded his answer.