Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister told the bush summit, 'I won't BS people'. The Prime Minister promised Australians a $275 reduction in their energy bills prior to the 2022 election. Hasn't that now proven to be 'BS'? Is this broken promise the reason why the Prime Minister was chased out of town by a convoy of tractors?

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

I did attend a meeting in Ballarat last week, and I attended a meeting in Wagga Wagga as well. I attend, regularly, regional events. And, when I do, I inform the members, as the member for Page would know, as the member for Maranoa would know and as the member for Riverina would know. Indeed, I took the member for Riverina to the event in his electorate last week.

I have attended an event with the member for Mallee, where I opened local community infrastructure at the invitation of the local council. There were schools there because it was the first time a prime minister had visited Horsham, a small community, in some 40 years. There were school children there; there were lots of people there. I rang up the member for Mallee to invite her to come along. The member for Mallee chose to organise people to come along and yell with loudhailers and to disrupt the event. I was fine with that, as I was last week when I engaged in one-on-one discussions.

But I do make this point. Yesterday a neo-Nazi crashed the events with the Victorian premier.

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't conflate that with farmers. Be very careful.

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

Order! The Leader of the Nationals will cease interjecting.

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

I'll tell you what is dangerous. What is dangerous is encouraging—indeed, I was there, as was the member for Maranoa. He knows the Australian Federal Police had organised a cut-off area—

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't conflate it with neo-Nazis. Don't you dare!

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

Order! The Leader of the Nationals cannot continue to keep yelling like that.

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

so that no-one was chased, as the member put it in her question. Indeed, because of the presence of the AFP, I attended a dinner the night before and I went around all the tables and discussed that with farmers.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! The Prime Minister is directly answering a question about the event that he was asked about in the question. It's impossible to raise a point of order on relevance. Member for Mallee, the Prime Minister is answering exactly the question he has been asked, about the rally he attended, what he said and what he did. I'm going to ask you to reconsider if it's a point of order on relevance, because it can't be for the reasons I've just outlined. I think everyone can see that. The member for Mallee.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is on relevance.

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

No. Resume your seat. We're going to deal with this. Speakers in the past—I'm happy to go through it with any member who requests it—have denied points of order. I'm willing to give people a fair go, but if you've asked a question and he or any minister is answering it directly—when people go off topic, I understand it, but not when he is giving specific answers. That's just ridiculous.

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

I'll tell you what is dangerous. It's encouragement of an event where someone stands on a chair in the second row with a noose around their neck at a time when people taking their own lives is a really serious issue. All I would say is this: I'm always prepared to front up. I front up in seats right across this parliament. I front up outside my electorate office, which sees demonstrations a lot more willing than what was there in Ballarat the other day, let me tell you. I front up when coffins are brought to the front of my office with my name on them. I front up and address those people, and I address them respectfully. But I say this to the parliament: you need to be responsible. (Time expired)