David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. Will the minister explain to the House how the government determined the efficiency measures at the ABC and the SBS which were announced last Wednesday?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. It is important to set out clearly the government's process in determining the savings imposed on the ABC and the SBS and to dispel the outrageous claims made by the opposition today. Only today we had out at the doors the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister becoming more and more excited as they accused the government of engaging in a vast right-wing conspiracy, with mutterings about grassy knolls. The vapours of tremulous indignation were so pumping up the mighty heaving bosom of the Leader of the Opposition that he seemed to grow as he denounced our policy. He accused us of being a book-burning government. And, as those indignant vapours filled his chest, even his jacket fitted—it was incredible! Anything was possible; he was so big! And then came the question: 'So, are you going to restore the funds cut?' He slipped back down. He slipped back down into his jacket. Once again, it dwarfed him.

Let us be clear. What we did was very simple. We inherited a deficit which Labor said was $18 billion. By the PEFO, just before the election, it was $30 billion. Then, after the election and the MYEFO, it was $48 billion. We inherited a massive deficit. So, clearly, every part of government had to play its part. What we did was businesslike and methodical. We went through the ABC and SBS with the benefit of a real expert—Peter Lewis, one of the most experienced CFOs in the industry—and we identified, in the case of the ABC, $254 million of savings that could be achieved over five years without reducing the money available for programming. And that is what we did. Those savings come from efficiencies. They could have been saved by Labor if they had cared about spending taxpayers' money efficiently, but they did not. They boasted that no government ever spent more on the ABC. They just gave them more and more money, heedless of efficiencies, heedless of the state of the budget and heedless of the fact that every other Australian was pulling his belt in tighter. This was a reckless Labor government, and we are yet again cleaning up its mess.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order.

Honourable members: Too late!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has the call. The minister had finished his question. Is it relating to the question?

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then it is too late for the point of order.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask the minister to table the report he was referring to.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In that case—the shadow minister has asked for the tabling of the report to which the minister referred.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is confidential. I was not reading from it.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He was not reading from it.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asking you to table the report—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has said it is confidential. The Prime Minister has the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.