Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, reports in the AFR show a total of $85.5 million in payments by 51 super funds to political parties, namely the Labor Party, and associates, namely unions, over the past five years. Can the Prime Minister confirm the first act—the very first act—of his Treasury under his government was to water down transparency and accountability measures designed to give Australian super fund members visibility of how their savings are spent?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The first act of the government was actually to sit around as a cabinet and to agree to put in a submission to the Fair Work Commission to give low-wage workers a pay rise. That was the first act that we did. We said that people on $20.33 were doing it tough. So that was the first act of the government.

We've continued to implement our priorities. We will continue to implement our priorities. We were transparent before the election, just as those opposite are transparent in that they've never seen a union they didn't want to undermine, and they've seen an industry superfund that they did not want to have a royal commission into or that they didn't want to take action against.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will take a short break. I call the deputy leader on a point of order.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on relevance, Mr Speaker. The question actually said the first act of Treasury. The Prime Minister is not addressing the question. The question said 'the first act of Treasury'. Treasury.

Opposition members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The deputy leader will resume her seat. Order! Members on my left! The deputy leader has raised a point of order. The question—

Honourable members interjecting—

Order. I'm trying to rule on the point of order. The deputy leader raised a point of order. The question is about the first act, and I'm calling the Prime Minister, who is in order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. I know it might come as a shock to some of those opposite that Treasury has something to do with wages and the submission to the Fair Work Commission. Treasury, including the very good Secretary to the Treasury, Steven Kennedy—someone who served the previous government, and someone who continues to serve this government—a fine public servant—knows that what we did was to put that in as our first act. That was our first act. Those opposite keep repeating the same acts over and over again, which are to stand here and just give working Australians a reminder that they've never seen a union they didn't want to undermine and that they've never seen industry super funds that they didn't want to get rid of and undermine and weaken. That is why, when they came to office, they had a royal commission into superannuation. What that found, indeed, was that industry super funds perform much better than the retail funds and that industry super funds, which those opposite have played with over and over again—the increases that were there for the super guarantee up to 12 per cent they've undermined, consistently, the whole way through. We on this side support the right of workers to have superannuation. We're pretty proud of it. We're pretty proud that it is part of Labor's legacy.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will just resume his seat for a moment. I call the member for Fadden, on a point of order.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on tedious repetition, standing order 75. All we've heard is the Prime Minister tediously repeat his support for the union movement, as opposed to answering the question on the first act of his Treasury.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is in order. That is not a point of order. The Prime Minister has concluded his answer. The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, in his answer, the Prime Minister made a dismissive gesture towards the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. It was disrespectful to a senior woman parliamentarian, and I ask him to withdraw it.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was listening closely to the Prime Minister. I didn't see anything in his answer that was disrespectful at all. If the Prime Minister had done something disrespectful, I would ask him to withdraw it, but there was nothing said. We will move on now with question time.