John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bishop for his interesting contribution on the Auditor-General Amendment Bill 2008 [2009], which implements the recommendations of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, following its inquiry into the Auditor-General Act. I certainly commend this legislation to the Senate.

I must say that I was disappointed that Senator Ronaldson, the shadow special minister of state, took the opportunity to use debate on this important, and I think non-controversial, legislation to politicise the Audit Office by raising the audit report that was tabled yesterday into the CMAX issue. This was only done because, when the audit report into the CMAX Communications contract for the 2020 Summit was tabled, Senator Ronaldson did not see fit to come into the chamber, as is ordinarily the case, and debate the report at that time. There was no comment from the opposition. There was no comment, critical or otherwise, from any senator in this chamber. But having failed in that responsibility, Senator Ronaldson tried to use the second reading debate of this important legislation to raise issues in relation to that report. I think this was a mistake by Senator Ronaldson, and I am about to outline to the chamber why.

It is not the only mistake Senator Ronaldson has made, because he also issued a press release yesterday in relation to the ANAO report, which was headed ‘ANAO report confirms Rudd’s $60,000 CMAX rort.’ I read this press release carefully as one does read a press release from a shadow minister. And, as Senator Ronaldson suggested, I read the report of the ANAO. And when I read Senator Ronaldson’s press release which quoted the report, I thought to myself, ‘Senator Ronaldson’s had a few memory lapses.’ Let me just go through it for the benefit of the chamber. Let me quote directly from Senator Ronaldson’s press release. It said:

The ANAO report makes it clear: “... an employee of CMAX Communications ... had been recommended to them [PM&C] by a Senior Adviser within the Prime Minister’s office”.

That is the first of three quotes in Senator Ronaldson’s press release. What does paragraph 14 of the report actually say? It actually has words before those words that Senator Ronaldson quotes. It says:

In these circumstances, it was reasonable for PM&C to consider the credentials of an employee of CMAX Communications who had been recommended to them by a Senior Adviser within the Prime Minister’s Office involved with organising the Summit.

That was very misleading from shadow minister Ronaldson. It is very irresponsible of shadow minister Ronaldson not to have given the full sentence for the benefit of our friends in the fourth estate. They may not have had time to go to the report like I have; they may not have read the full sentence that commences paragraph 14 of the Auditor-General’s report. That was the first quote of three from Senator Ronaldson.