Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
2:48 pm
I move:
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Manager of Opposition Business from moving immediately:
That the House:
(1) notes:
(a) yesterday morning, the media aired an allegation the Employment Minister's Office had leaked the raids, which allowed television crews to turn up to the raids before the police did;
(b) by midday yesterday, the Employment Minister had five times denied that her office had been involved in leaking the raids;
(c) at the Prime Minister's Question Time briefing yesterday, attended by the Employment Minister and the Senior Media Adviser who has now resigned for leaking the raids, the Prime Minister, according to the Government's account, failed to ask a single question about the involvement of the Minister's office in leaking the raids;
(d) at 6.10 pm, Alice Workman of Buzzfeed reported that journalists received a leak about the raids from the Employment Minister's office before the raids began;
(e) at 7.30 pm, after the truth had been exposed, only then did the Employment Minister finally admit that she had misled the Senate on five separate occasions; and
(f) during the utegate scandal, the now Prime Minister himself said that misleading the Parliament "is an offence that should result in the dismissal or resignation of a Minister. It is perfectly clear"; and
(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to:
(a) sack the Employment Minister for breaching Ministerial Standards by repeatedly misleading the Senate; and
(b) explain to the House his involvement, his office's involvement and his Government's involvement in this serious matter where the publicly stated version of events doesn’t add up.
The Australian Federal Police upholds the law, but this government—
Tony Smith Speaker
The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Leader of the House has the call.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
Mr Speaker, you have to build momentum for these kinds of things. I move—
Tony Smith Speaker
The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business has the call.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
The Australian Federal Police upholds the rule of law, but the government does not. This began with a complete abuse of power—
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy
2:50 pm
I move:
That the Member be no longer heard.
Tony Smith Speaker
The question is the Manager of Opposition Business be no further heard.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
I second the motion. It's time to cash out this minister. She has misled parliament.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
I move:
That the Member be no longer heard.
Tony Smith Speaker
The question is that the member for Grayndler be longer heard.
Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
3:00 pm
The Prime Minister must show some leadership and sack—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
3:01 pm
I move:
That the question be now put.
Tony Smith Speaker
3:04 pm
The question now is that the motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be agreed to.