House debates Motions
Special Minister of State; Attempted Censure
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
3:04 pm
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I seek leave to move:
That the House has no confidence in the Special Minister of State and Minister for Defence Materiel and Science.
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 has no confidence in the Special Minister of State and Minister for Defence Material and Science.
If the Prime Minister will not act, the parliament must. We heard an answer from the Prime Minister, who loftily dismissed these issues and said that nothing has changed in the last two years or since this issue was first raised. Oh, yes it has, Prime Minister. In the last two weeks, we have seen the Special Minister of State mislead the parliament. We did not ask the Special Minister of State to go on 60 Minutes and make the statements that he did to Liz Hayes, the journalist, on 60 Minutes. We did not ask that. That was entirely a conscious decision by the Special Minister of State. We did not ask this current Special Minister of State to come into this House and to propose—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
3:05 pm
I move:
That the member be no longer heard.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
The members on my left will cease interjecting. I remind those who have been warned. The motion moved by the Leader of the House is that the Leader of the Opposition be no further heard.
Is the motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition seconded?
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
3:13 pm
I second the motion. This minister has misled the House five times, two of them in the last hour.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
3:14 pm
I move:
That the member be no longer heard.
Tony Smith Speaker
The question is that the member for Isaacs be no longer heard.
The question now is that the motion be agreed to. The member for Watson.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
3:16 pm
This is the last chance for someone to defend the minister from that side—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Watson will resume his seat. The Leader of the House.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
I move:
That the motion be put.
Tony Smith Speaker
The question is that the motion be put.
The question now is that the motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition be agreed to.
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.