Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development (Senate)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. I refer to the minister's letter to the President responding to questions taken on notice yesterday in relation to Prime Minister Morrison's sacking as managing director of Tourism Australia by the Howard government. The minister's letter states, 'I can confirm that the performance requirements for the Prime Minister's contract at Tourism Australia were fully satisfied.' Minister, why was Prime Minister Morrison sacked only a year and a half into his contract by a unanimous decision of the board without any dissent whatsoever?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was not a minister in the government in the period 1996-2007. I can see that the Labor Party is interested in the ancient past. We are interested in the future. We also understand that the people of Australia know very well what an outstanding performer Prime Minister Morrison has been in every single one of his ministerial and shadow ministerial responsibilities. They know how effective he has been in fixing up Labor's mess at our borders. They know how effective he has been in initiating and implementing social welfare reform, getting people back from welfare into work. That, of course, is why the proportion of working-age Australians on welfare today is the lowest it has been in 25 years. I know that Prime Minister Morrison, as Treasurer, was the key architect to turn around the situation that we inherited from Labor. When Labor lost government in 2013, when Mr Bowen was Treasurer in 2013, they left behind a weakening economy, rising unemployment and a rapidly deteriorating budget position. Today, the economy is stronger, employment growth is stronger, the unemployment rate is well below where it was anticipated it would be—down to five per cent—and the budget position is stronger and improving. At the next election, the Australian people will be contrasting the strong plan, the strong team and the strong performance of the Prime Minister against the reckless, anti-business, class-warfare, politics-of-envy agenda of Mr Shorten turning Australian against Australian—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Senator Wong?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is direct relevance. The question was: why was the Prime Minister sacked?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've reminded the minister of part of the question. The minister has 27 seconds remaining to answer. Senator Cormann.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here is my answer to the Labor Party: you're not going to win government with student politics.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sterle, a supplementary question.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development (Senate)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Minister, if you're that damn confident, bring on the election early! If, as the minister's letter asserts, Prime Minister Morrison was a 'you-beaut' managing director of Tourism Australia, why did Prime Minister Howard refuse to save Prime Minister Morrison from being sacked as the managing director of Tourism Australia?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I would refer Senator Sterle to a previous answer where I pointed out that I'm in this chamber representing Prime Minister Morrison. I'm not in this chamber representing a Prime Minister a couple of prime ministers ago. And the other point I would make is that you are flogging a dead horse. How about focusing on the Australian people? How about focusing on giving the Australian people the best possible opportunity to get ahead? How about focusing on a pro-business, lower taxes, increased growth, more-jobs agenda where more Australians will have the opportunity to get a job, to build a career and to get the best possible—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, my point of order goes to direct relevance. I don't know why the minister is so scared of telling the truth, but the one question that has now been asked on five occasions that the minister is refusing to answer is: why was the Prime Minister sacked after a year and a half?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is part of the question that was asked by Senator Sterle. As long as the minister is directly relevant to part of the question, I can't instruct him how to answer the question. I call the minister.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr President. If the Labor Party wants to continue to ask me questions about decisions that were made in the period of the Howard government, good luck to them. We're going to continue to focus on the best interests of the Australian people today and into the future. We will continue to make decisions to ensure that Australians today and into the future have the best possible opportunity to get ahead.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sterle, a final supplementary question.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development (Senate)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. If, as the minister's letter asserts, Prime Minister Morrison was a 'competent, ridgy-didge managing director of Tourism Australia', why did the entire Tourism Australia board, including respected former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, the then minister Fran Bailey and former Prime Minister John Howard agree Prime Minister Morrison's judgement couldn't be trusted?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While I didn't use the words 'ridgy-didge', I do accept that they accurately sum up what I have expressed in this letter. And just to make sure that every pollie in the Senate can see what an outstanding managing director of Tourism Australia Prime Minister Morrison was—as well as being an outstanding immigration minister, an outstanding Treasurer, an outstanding Minister for Social Services and now doing a great job as our Prime Minister—I table that letter again, for the benefit of the Senate.