Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday when speaking about the Prime Minister's broken promise on the ABC, the Minister for Communications said: 'Certainly there are cuts. He said no cuts to the ABC or SBS. There are cuts to the ABC or SBS'. Prime Minister, was the Minister for Communications right?

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

Of course we are seeking savings from the ABC, and I ask the members opposite why do they think the ABC should be a protected species? And now they say, 'you said it'. Well, members opposite said that the deficit would be $18 billion and it turned out to be $50 billion.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

There will be silence on my left!

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

Circumstances changed; events moved on. Don't members opposite understand that they left our country with a fiscal disaster? Don't they understand that? Don't they understand that if they ruined—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The member for Sydney has asked her question and will desist!

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

Don't they understand that if they are guilty of intergenerational theft it is important for this government to set things right? Don't they—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Madam Speaker, she has asked the question.

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

I have already pointed that out. The member for Sydney will desist and hear the answer to the question she has asked.

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

We have been quite up-front with the Australian people. We have said exactly what savings we are seeking. We have said exactly what savings we require them to make. The Leader of the Opposition says that there will be cuts under Labor as well, but he will not tell us what they are until after he has won the election. What could be more arrogant and duplicitous that? Sneakiness is stock-in-trade for this Leader of the Opposition.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

We have had enough guffawing on our left.

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

I quoted one section of Paul Kelly's book yesterday. Let me quote more of Paul Kelly:

… in March, Swann kept his eye on Shorten, suspicious about his loyalty to Gillard. Many Labor figures suspected that Shorten's real position in March was: I must support Gillard but I want Rudd to win. … Shorten didn't want the political blood of two leaders on his hands. He was thinking of his future.

And that is the problem. He only thinks of his future, never of our country's future. That is his problem. That is why he will never be Prime Minister of this country.

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

I call the honourable member for Lindsay.

Honourable members interjecting—

The Minister for Health will desist! The member for Lindsay has the call.