House debates Questions without Notice
International Development Assistance
Chris Bowen McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
2:51 pm
My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to the Prime Minister's answer a moment ago when the Prime Minister said that official development assistance would reach 0.5 per cent of GNI when the budget returns to surplus and referred to this as 'an aspiration'. If this is the case, why did the Treasurer's mid-year economic forecast say that official development assistance would reach this target in 2017? Is this another example of the Treasurer cooking the books to artificially inflate debt and deficit?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
Order! There will be silence on my right and on my left! The Treasurer has the call.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
2:52 pm
Talk about cooking the books! It is like an episode of Masterchefover there! Fair dinkum. There, you've got some of the best. The member for Lilley, he really cooked them—he overcooked them. He promised a surplus. Three hundred times he promised a surplus! I have heard of a souffle rising twice, but not 300 times! And then along comes another chef.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order, on relevance. The question was clearly about the Treasurer's MYEFO and not about anything that is happening on this side of the House.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat. I am afraid that when a question is asked about 'cooking the books' that is the sort of answer you will get.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
Of course, then along came the member for McMahon.
Mr Watts interjecting—
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
And the books were so cooked that he piled on the mustard, he piled on the horseradish, he piled on the barbecue sauce—
Government members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
Order! The member for Hunter on a point of order that is not about relevance.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In my view—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I did not ask for your view. I asked for the standing order.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
and I think you would agree, the term 'cooking the books' brings certain imputations, and I ask you to bring the Treasurer back to the subject he has been asked about.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Hunter is good spirited. He is having a sense of fun.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
The problem is, the Labor party cooked the books and the rest of Australia got food poisoning! Talk about cooking the books—Labor was adept at it. And they still do not understand how to put the recipe together.
Mr Bowen interjecting—
The member for McMahon does not understand the recipe!
Mr Bowen interjecting—
Mr Marles interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for McMahon and the member for Corio will desist!
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
He came into this place all indignant about debt. The member for McMahon does not even know the difference between net debt and gross debt.
Ms Butler interjecting
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
He does not even understand the recipe! And yet, the Labor Party has the gall to come in and say we have cooked the books!
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Griffith will leave under 94(a).
The member for Griffith then left the chamber.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
It was the Labor Party that kept promising a surplus. It was the Labor Party that kept making big heroic promises about the economy that were never delivered. Every single number Labor published for six years was wrong. Every single number! And it was not just their own incompetence, it was Labor Party deceit. Shuffling payments and shuffling revenue from year to year in order to try and manufacture a surplus. And they believed their own cooking! They went out there and said, 'We've delivered a surplus'. They did not even pretend!
Ms Rishworth interjecting—
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
They actually went out there and told the Australian people—and paid for it using taxpayers' money—'We have delivered a surplus.' The fact is, they were just $123 billion short. That is a big number for you—
Chris Bowen McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Is the Treasurer intending to mention overseas development assistance at any point in relation to the question?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for McMahon will resume his seat. There is no point of order. That is an abuse of the standing orders.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
I would say to the member for McMahon that no matter how much he cries out he will not find any aid overseas.