House debates Questions without Notice
Infrastructure
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
3:07 pm
My question is to the
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
Point of order, Mr Speaker. While I am certain the Minister for Cities and the Built Environment can answer the question, the senior minister for him is not the Deputy Prime Minister; it is the Minister for the Environment, in which case the question is misdirected and I would therefore offer that the transport minister might seek to answer the question.
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for McEwen. The member for Throsby will cease interjecting. The member for Watson on the point of order.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
On the point of order, I can understand why they do not want the Minister for Cities and the Built Environment to come near the table. But it was a reasonable question. It is in order, and the fact that they have chaos in their ministerial arrangements is merely a reflection of them.
Tony Smith Speaker
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection will cease interjecting. The member for Moreton will cease interjecting. The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. The Leader of the House on the point of order.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
It is an important principle of government that the question should be directed to the correct minister, otherwise members of the opposition will simply start asking questions of anybody on this side of the House, misdirecting it if they feel they are going to get some political gain out of that. This government is about building the economy of the future. It is not about playing their silly political games. They messed up to whom the question was directed. They are trying to make a political point. We are generously offering the correct minister to answer the question. If they do not want the correct minister to answer the question then the answer and the question should be disappeared.
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. I am ready to rule. I understand the technicality the minister is making. The member for Mayo is the minister for cities. It is up to the executive as to who answers the question, if they want to redirect it.
Opposition members interjecting—
I have ruled on the point of order.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat.
Opposition members interjecting—
I have not ruled the question out of order and I have not asked for it to be rephrased.
Honourable members interjecting—
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. I have ruled on the point of order.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
I am raising a second point of order.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
I accept totally that it is up to them who takes the question.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
I accept totally that your ruling is correct, in terms of their ability to transfer questions. But if I as the shadow minister for cities cannot ask a question of the minister for cities about a rail line in the city of Melbourne, then what is he responsible for?
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
I know he has no department and no staff—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Can I seek leave—
Tony Smith Speaker
No, you cannot. You can resume your seat. That is what you can do. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
3:11 pm
Here we have the member for Grayndler again trying to put his plaque on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the pyramids and the Tower of Babel. How many more projects does he want to claim as his own? How many more projects does he think he built? Where are all these invisible projects that should have the minister's plaque on them?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Tony Smith Speaker
The Deputy Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Grayndler on a point of order, and he needs to state the point of order.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Absolutely—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. The member for Dawson and the Leader of the House will cease interjecting. Whoever is interjecting up the back there will cease, too. The member for Grayndler no a point of order, and he needs to state the point of order.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Absolutely. It is a very specific question about the Melbourne Metro.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
It is about a real project that had real funding and a real business case.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
It goes to relevance.
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. He is warned that that is an abuse.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
You did not state the point of order, and I asked you to.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
Now you have stated it for the first time.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
You did not. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
To put it simply, he has not built the Melbourne Metro, either. It is not there.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Grayndler will withdraw.
Honourable members interjecting—
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection will cease interjecting.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
I withdraw—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
You do the planning and then you build it, but the reality is that the planning has not been done, either. Should we go out and start putting holes in the ground. That is not a plan. The reality is that the Victorian government acknowledges that it is at least two or three years away from having the Melbourne Metro at the stage where any kind of construction can begin. I stand by the statements that have been made. The reality is that there is no plan that can be costed and put to the stage where it can be assessed by Infrastructure Australia. A couple of years, or more, work has yet to be done.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
Sorry, Mr Shadow Minister, you do not need to start preparing the plaque for this one any time soon!