Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:51 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Why is the Prime Minister placing the interests of one billionaire ahead of the interests of nine million working Australians, 1.3 million families and 3.2 million small businesses?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Watson and the member for Charlton will desist. The Prime Minister has the call.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
If the Leader of the Opposition believes so strongly in the measures that he claims to be fighting for—if he believes so strongly in all of these: the schoolkids bonus, the low-income support payment—will the Leader of the Opposition stand up in this place today and guarantee to bring them back?
Honourable members interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
If he is not prepared to stand up and guarantee that they will be brought back, he is simply a fraud. Because the Leader of the Opposition has dealt the Labor Party into irrelevance, because the Leader of the Opposition has dealt himself into irrelevance, we will deal with—
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Madam Speaker, there has got to be something left of the relevance rule—something; even just a little bit of it—because this is a long way away.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I am listening attentively to the answer of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has the call.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
As I said—
Mr Husic interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Prime Minister has the call, and the member for Chifley will desist.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
As I said, given that the Leader of the Opposition has dealt the Labor Party into irrelevance, we will deal with those members of this parliament who are prepared to deal with us. We will engage in constructive discussions—
Ms Owens interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
with the parliament, including the crossbench, that the people elected, and that is, frankly, what the people expect us to do. Once upon a time, even the Leader of the Opposition understood this. 'We worked with the Greens. We worked with the crossbenchers. And, you know, even sometimes we would work with the Liberals'—that is what he said back then.
Honourable members interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
He does not like being reminded of his rare lucid moments! He was prepared to work with the parliament that the people elected back then, and so are we now.