House debates Questions without Notice
Regional Development Australia Fund
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
On a point of order, Madam Speaker: the government has had two questions in a row and you have administered this matter—
John Alexander Bennelong, Liberal Party
My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer inform the house importance of good financial management when allocating taxpayers' funds?
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
2:54 pm
I thank the honourable member for Bennelong for his question. This is the last sitting Thursday before Christmas and I want to share my Christmas good wishes with everyone. I think it is important to give people, family and friends a range of different books for Christmas. I think it is important that we have good reading. The first bit of good reading I would recommend is The design and conduct of the third and fourth funding rounds of the Regional Development Australia FundBallarorts! It is compelling reading about how Labor—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
Do you think that Labor booklet you are holding up is compelling reading? That should be in the remainder bin with Wayne Swan's autobiography. Swannie, it is a better seller that yours, mate!
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Treasurer will resume his seat. I said if those props were held up again that they would be collected by the attendants. Kindly hand them in and you can get them at the end of this question time.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. For the opposition in this question time to be in a situation where we cannot even ask for something to be withdrawn—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat! This is defiance of the chair encouraged by you. Now put those down!
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Are you going to ask the Prime Minister to withdraw unparliamentary remarks?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I have not heard any unparliamentary remarks.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
I tried four times to stand and tell you about them.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
If you are referring to where words are used in a collective manner, that is not against the standing orders nor against the Practice. The member will resume his seat.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
It is in the book.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat. If you read on, you will find some more. Resume your seat.
Graham Perrett Moreton, Australian Labor Party
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I ask again that the Treasurer use the correct title for the member for Lilley. He again failed to do so.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I would remind the member for Moreton that, if a point of order is being used to disrupt an answer, it is not acceptable. However, he has a reasonable point on this occasion, and the Treasurer will use the proper terminology for members.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
It is hugely important that we have good Christmas reading and it is important that Australians be fully aware of the rorting by the previous government, the Labor government, of taxpayers' money. It is known as 'Ballarort'.
Julie Collins Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government
On a point—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Franklin will resume her seat.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
That is compelling reading, but I also recommend a better understanding of what Labor is about. I went to Bruce Hawker's The Rudd Rebellion, which is actually pretty good reading. There are two things you need in politics. You need trust and you need honesty.
Opposition members interjecting—
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
Here, I reckon, Bruce Hawker has belled the cat when he said:
Chris Bowen had gone on Lateline last night and run the 'who do you trust?' line on instructions from campaign headquarters, and I realised how ridiculous it sounded. After the last three years, we'd be lucky to be trusted to walk the dog around the park. So at 6.30am I insisted we change it back to 'doubt'.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Port Adelaide will leave under 94(a).
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
Even Bruce Hawker said you cannot trust Labor. Of course no-one beats Mark Latham in his description of the Leader of the Opposition. When talking about economic reform, he says this about the Leader of the Opposition:
Little Billy was in my ear about the FTA telling me that party had to support it.
Opposition members interjecting—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: you have to draw the line somewhere, and The Latham Diaries is too far.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat and remove himself under 94(a).
The member for Grayndler then left the chamber.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer
In a sense he is right, but this guy was your leader! He said:
Little Billy was in my ear about the FTA, telling me the party has to support it. I said I thought both he and his union were against it, to which he responded, 'That's just for the members. We need to say that sort of thing when they reckon their jobs are under threat. I want it to go through. The US alliance is too important to do otherwise. Politically, you have no choice.'
There is Mark Latham saying that Little Billy says one thing to his members and says something else to the leaders of the Labor Party. This man is weak. He is weak, insipidly weak, inconsistent— (Time expired)
Honourable members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
There will be silence. And if the silence does not continue—
Brett Whiteley Braddon, Liberal Party
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
What is the point of order, Member for Braddon?
Brett Whiteley Braddon, Liberal Party
I would like to draw your attention to the defiance of the chair, in that the member for Swan has refused to the attendant, clearly—
Opposition members interjecting—
The member for Lilley—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
No, you will resume your seat. The member will resume his seat and remain silent.