House debates Questions without Notice
Asbestos
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
3:30 pm
My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I refer to ongoing concerns about asbestos entering the Australian construction industry through illegal imports. Has the minister had any discussions with her international counterparts about a treaty to combat the trafficking of asbestos? If so, has the minister taken any advice from her department about how to manage any conflicts of interest, noting her well-established advocacy for asbestos companies over the years?
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
3:31 pm
I am very happy to take this, given that I lived opposite those folk whilst they put the pink batts program into action. They sat silent and did nothing whilst four young men lost their lives. They sat on their hands whilst we had inferior goods coming in from China. The opposition's history on this matter is a history of shame, of inaction and of disgrace. By contrast, when we heard about this, we immediately sought advice, we immediately sought action, and—
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
You sought to misrepresent everything.
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
you are the last person—
Mr Dreyfus interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
from your role in the Home Insulation Program, to show any form of piety or any sort of concern after the practised inaction while real things happened on your watch.
Tony Smith Speaker
The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
On direct relevance. I can understand them not wanting to talk about the conflicts of interest on asbestos for the Minister for Foreign Affairs, but that was the question.
Tony Smith Speaker
Has the Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science concluded his question?
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
Yes.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
That is a disgraceful slur from the Manager of Opposition Business and he should withdraw it.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
It was said at the dispatch box.
Tony Smith Speaker
The Leader of the House would appreciate that, even when things are said at the dispatch box, if there are loud interjections on both sides—and this is not a critical point I make of the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, but he was responding to some interjections as well. If the Manager of Opposition Business has said something unparliamentary, in the interests of the House, I would ask him to withdraw. I do not think the Leader of the House was referring to the question. He was referring to something you said as you finished your point of order.
Government members interjecting—
If members on my right wish for me to deal with this, they will cease interjecting; otherwise, we will have to move on.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
I referred to the question being about conflicts of interest, which it was.
Tony Smith Speaker
We will need to move onto the next question. Of course, it is open to any member, if they claim to have been misrepresented in any way, to seek the call at the end of question time or to use other forms of the House.