Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the Prime Minister indicated Labor had secured a deal with Senator Pocock to ensure the passage of Labor's extreme industrial relations bill. Can the Prime Minister inform the House if there are any elements of this deal which have not been made public?

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

I thank the member for Wide Bay for his question. As I understand it, he's asking if there are any secret elements of any arrangements that were put forward as part of an agreement to pass our industrial relations legislation. Let me get this right: the political party that has a secret agreement as the basis of its forming of government, between the Liberal Party and the National Party, is asking, 'Are there any elements that are unknown?' They didn't even know who their ministers were. They had two Treasurers, two finance ministers, two health ministers, two industry, science et cetera ministers, and no-one was allowed to know—and they come in here and give a newbie a question like that? What a joke.

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

Has the Prime Minister concluded his answer?

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

No.

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

I'll hear from 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

On relevance, Mr Speaker. When there has been a tightly drafted question, you've previously asked the minister to come back to the terms of the question. Are there any elements of the deal with Senator Pocock which have not been made public?

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

The Prime Minister has had a preamble, and I'll ask him to return to the question. He is in order, and I give him the call.

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

They probably don't recognise someone of integrity like Senator Pocock, who has been upfront about everything that was discussed and nothing that wasn't. He has been very upfront, as have I. That compares with the opposition, who, when it became known that we weren't aware of how many of these secret ministries were in existence, had a debate in their shadow cabinet and, according to one frontbencher, said, 'The view was we were best not to talk about it.' That's according to Niki Savva. That's not something in the past; that's about the way that they're operating now. When they were embarrassed when the Australian public found out how many treasurers and how many finance ministers there were, what they said was, 'We're best not to talk about it.'

I did a press conference yesterday with the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and talked about exactly what was discussed between me and Senator Pocock. Senator Pocock did a press conference. It's called transparency. We've got it. They never did, and they still don't.

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

The member for Petrie does not need to add to the commentary. I give the call to the member for Adelaide.