House debates Questions without Notice

Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education

Tuesday, 19 February 2019 House of Representatives

Brendan O'Connor

Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations

2:39 pm

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today in Senate estimates the Director of Public Prosecutions said that a factor preventing the prosecution of the leak of an AFP raid was the failure of people to provide witness statements. Will the Prime Minister order Minister Cash and the human services minister to provide witness statements to the police and fully cooperate with the police, so that whoever has broken the law can be brought to justice?

Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this

Government Members:

Government members interjecting

Tony Smith

Tony Smith Speaker

Members on my right, the Prime Minister has the call.

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House

What's the court case about?

Tony Smith

Tony Smith Speaker

Leader of the House, the Prime Minister is trying to commence the answer.

Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister

2:40 pm

I can say I am advised that ministers were invited on a voluntary basis to assist the AFP in their investigation. I'm advised that both ministers did, in fact, cooperate with that investigation on a voluntary basis. I'm advised that neither minister received any further request for information after they responded to the AFP's initial invitation to provide information. The ministers have cooperated with the AFP investigation.

Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this

Government Members:

Government members interjecting

Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister

There are interjections from behind me that are encouragingly asking me to advise the House on what this matter is actually into. The matter is into the AWU's providing of member fees to GetUp! and, indeed, the Leader of the Labor Party. That's what it is. The questioner has asked me if there are people who are responsible for things and if they should be exposed. They should, so why leader of the Labor Party come clean and provide the evidence that shows—allegedly, he believes that it does—that this didn't happen. The biggest obstacle to this investigation is the Leader of the Opposition, who refuses to come clean on the very serious allegations that the union that he was running and involved with directed members fees to GetUp! and, indeed, his own campaigns. Why doesn't he come clean?