House debates Motions

Prime Minister Abbott; Attempted Censure

Thursday, 19 June 2014 House of Representatives

Bill Shorten

Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition

2:47 pm

I withdraw. And enough is enough. I seek leave to move to following motion:

That the House censures the Prime Minister:

(1) for repeatedly and deliberately misleading the Parliament and the Australian people by:

(a) claiming that the Prime Minister's Budget is an honest Budget;

(b) claiming that the Prime Minister has not broken any of the promises he clearly made to the Australian people before the election;

(c) promising there would be no new or increased taxes and then introducing a new GP tax and new petrol tax; and

(d) claiming that there are no cuts to schools, hospitals and pensions despite the Prime Minister's own Budget papers showing the Government is cutting $80 billion from schools and hospitals, and cutting pension indexation; and

(2) for his dishonest Budget which is hurting Australians.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Honourable the Leader of the Opposition moving immediately—That the House censures the Prime Minister:

(1) for repeatedly and deliberately misleading the Parliament and the Australian people by:

(a) claiming that the Prime Minister's Budget is an honest Budget;

(b) claiming that the Prime Minister has not broken any of the promises he clearly made to the Australian people before the election;

(c) promising there would be no new or increased taxes and then introducing a new GP tax and new petrol tax; and

(d) claiming that there are no cuts to schools, hospitals and pensions despite the Prime Minister's own Budget papers showing the Government is cutting $80 billion from schools and hospitals, and cutting pension indexation; and

(2) for his dishonest Budget which is hurting Australians.

Standing orders must be suspended because this is a government that cannot tell the truth about what they are doing to Australians—

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education

2:50 pm

Madam Speaker, this is a parliament, not a picket line. I move:

That the Member be no longer heard.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

The question is that the member be no longer heard.

Is the motion seconded?

Mr Tony Burke

Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance

2:56 pm

I second the motion. If they were confident in their argument they would not need to shut down the debate. They are only shutting it down because they cannot defend what they are doing—

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education

2:57 pm

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

The question is that the member be no longer heard.

The question now before the chair is that the motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition be agreed to.