Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister and it relates to the reported sexual assault of Brittany Higgins. Can the Prime Minister confirm that he told the House inquiries were being made when they weren't, he told the House work was being done when it wasn't, he told the house he'd been briefed on the contents of a dossier when he hadn't and, after being asked numerous times since last Monday, he still won't ask whether his office briefed against the loved ones of Brittany Higgins. Why is it that the Prime Minister doesn't hold a hose, doesn't hold an inquiry and won't answer a question?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As usual, the Leader of the Opposition seeks to make this a personal attack. That's his form, that's his style. He doesn't deal with the substance of issues. The Leader of the Opposition is always quick to smear. But that's up to him. But I correct him: When the commissioner appeared before Senate estimates today he was asked, 'Did you brief the Prime Minister on the details of the dossier?' and he said, 'My recollection was just a brief around the general details.' He was then asked; 'Was he briefed on the nature of that allegation, that it was a sexual assault allegation?' The commissioner responded, 'From memory, yes.' So what we've had consistently from the opposition today is a whole range of assertions, misconstructions of things that have been said, for one simple purpose: to pursue the political objectives of the Leader of the Opposition. There is no genuine intent coming from the Labor leader about addressing the substance of these issues; they simply see this as an opportunity for political smear and scoring political points. That is the form and character of the Leader of the Opposition.

Over the course of these many years, when former Prime Minister Julia Gillard put in place a very important bipartisan process to deal with the serious issue of protecting women against violence, that process was not only supported by the coalition but was picked up in government with successive action plans totalling more than $1 billion in support and that will continue. Almost half of that has come in just the last two years. Instead of engaging in the partisan contest of smear, where the Leader of the Opposition is seeking to take advantage of these issues, he should remember that the way we address the substance of issues of protecting women against violence is by doing it as Prime Minister Gillard intended: by doing it together. It's by working together, whether it's the action plan agreed in this parliament, which has had bipartisan support, or by doing it with the state and territory governments, which draws those resources together. That's what I remain focused on. The Leader of the Opposition can come in here and throw his smears around all he likes. He can go as personal as he likes. I don't intend to get into that gutter with him.