House debates Motions

Prime Minister; Attempted Censure

Wednesday, 26 November 2014 House of Representatives

Bill Shorten

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

9:41 am

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House—

(1) notes that:

(a) on Monday 24 November 2014, the Prime Minister stated to the House, "We are applying an efficiency dividend to the ABC"; and

(b) the next day, the Minister for Communications directly contradicted the Prime Minister's statement in the House by stating on Sky News, "It is not an efficiency dividend" and again, "This is not an efficiency dividend": and

(2) censures the Prime Minister for deliberately misleading:

(a) the parliament;

(b) the Australian people when he promised on the night before the last election that there would be "No cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST, and no cuts to the ABC or SBS"; and

(c) the Australian people when he said, "It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards".

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Maribyrnong from moving the following motion forthwith:

That the House—

(1) notes that:

(a) on Monday 24 November 2014, the Prime Minister stated to the House, "We are applying an efficiency dividend to the ABC"; and

(b) the next day, the Minister for Communications directly contradicted the Prime Minister's statement in the House by stating on Sky News, "It is not an efficiency dividend" and again, "This is not an efficiency dividend": and

(2) censures the Prime Minister for deliberately misleading:

(a) the parliament;

(b) the Australian people when he promised on the night before the last election that there would be "No cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST, and no cuts to the ABC or SBS"; and

(c) the Australian people when he said, "It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards".

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House

9:44 am

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

A division having been called, the bells having been rung and an incident having occurred in the chamber—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

Order! I must say to the attendants that, when I say, 'Lock the doors', it would be helpful if you would close them quickly. I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance if he would move to a part of the chamber where his vote will not be counted in the division. He was the only one involved in pushing past the attendant. The question is that the motion of the Leader of the House be agreed to.

Is the motion seconded?

Jason Clare

Jason Clare Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications

I second the motion. Malcolm Turnbull has thrown Tony Abbott under a bus.

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House

9:54 am

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

A division having been called and the bells having been rung—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

Now all those members who did not vote in the previous division will report to the tellers.

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House

10:00 am

I move:

That the motion be now put.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

10:01 am

The question is that the motion be now put.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker

10:02 am

The question now is that the original motion for the suspension of standing and sessional orders be agreed to.