House debates Questions without Notice
Parliament House: Security
Clive Palmer Fairfax, Palmer United Party
2:13 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Following the revelations in the Senate in November that the data of up to five members of parliament are being accessed, are any crossbench members, including me, having their phones and their emails tapped or intercepted by any Commonwealth or state agency, or is any foreign government doing this to give the government plausible denial? Are our parliamentary offices bugged?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
2:14 pm
I thank the member for Fairfax for his question and I congratulate him on his recent election to this place. I hope that he and all members of his group can make a very constructive contribution to the deliberations of this parliament. On the question the member has asked—
Bob Katter Kennedy, Independent
On a point of order, Madam Speaker—
Honourable members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
Order! I say to the member for Kennedy that it had better be a proper point of order.
Bob Katter Kennedy, Independent
Two weeks ago, they had me in the Greens. Today—
Bob Katter Kennedy, Independent
I am in Clive's party. Please, Mr Prime Minister—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I remind the member for Fairfax, his fellow Independents and the minor party members up there on the crossbenches that it has never been the practice of any government in this country to comment on the specifics of operational intelligence matters. I also make the point that no-one's phone can be tapped—no-one's conversations can be listened into—without a specific warrant. Our intelligence services, both here and abroad, operate under the very strictest of safeguards. Firstly, there is the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Security and Intelligence and, secondly, there is the Inspector-General of Security and Intelligence. So I can assure the member for Fairfax that he can speak in peace, so to speak, without any fear that anything untoward is going on.