Kimberley Kitching Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability
2:11 pm
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. In the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's report in relation to the application of the Statement of Ministerial Standards against former Ministers Pyne and Bishop, Dr Parkinson states that the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Bishop, 'did not have any contact with Palladium in the five years that she was Minister for Foreign Affairs'. A video filmed of Ms Bishop's then office, titled 'Australia’s Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, commends shared values and Palladium’s business partnership platform,' was posted on 9 June 2017 on the Facebook page 'Palladium: make it happen'. What action has the Prime Minister or his office taken to verify the claim that Ms Bishop did not have any contact with Palladium in the five years that she was Minister for Foreign Affairs, given this latest revelation?
Mathias Cormann WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council
2:12 pm
The Prime Minister is satisfied, based on the advice from Dr Parkinson, that there was no breach of ministerial standards.
Kimberley Kitching Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability
Given these latest revelations, how can the findings of Dr Parkinson's report stand?
Mathias Cormann WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council
2:13 pm
The Prime Minister is satisfied, based on the advice from Dr Parkinson, that there was no breach of the statement of ministerial standards.
Kimberley Kitching Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability
I refer to reports that new LNP senator Gerard Rennick today urged any of his colleagues who are close friends with Christopher Pyne or Julie Bishop to tell them to step down from their jobs because it's an embarrassment for the government. Is Senator Rennick correct?
Mathias Cormann WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council
Senator Rennick is of course another one of those great Liberal-National Party senators from the great state of Queensland, and we're very pleased to have him on board as part of our team. Let me say in relation to the other parts of the question that I refer the honourable senator to my previous answers.