Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that John Anderson had the authority as Acting Prime Minister to convene cabinet to consider ANZUS being invoked in 2001 and that the statement today from the Prime Minister is the first time Australia will have an Acting PM in name only? If the Prime Minister doesn't trust him to do the job, why won't he stand the deputy aside?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The invocation of the ANZUS treaty after 9/11 was made by Prime Minister John Howard in the United States of America. Prime Ministers discharge the duties of their office wherever they are in the world. That's been the practice of Liberal Prime Ministers and Labor Prime Ministers for many years. Honourable members opposite know that. They know that's the practice. They know that's the practice of my government and, indeed, that it was the practice of the governments in which many of those opposite were ministers.