Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

That is a Treasury executive minute seen by every member of the cabinet in response to an FOI request—30 blank pages. This goes to the very heart of the issue of inflation and the impact of Labor’s laws. Is this open and accountable government? How does the Prime Minister justify his claim that it will be an open, accountable and transparent government when 30 blank pages are produced in response to a freedom of information application? We have seen the Treasurer, the Minister for Finance and Deregulation and the Prime Minister hide behind the bureaucracy. Their response was, ‘Oh well, the bureaucrats made that decision.’ Every member of the cabinet had this advice and any one of them can release this advice at any time. This advice goes to the heart of the question of the inflation challenge facing this country and Labor’s roll back of workplace relations reforms. This is a disgrace. There is no justification for it. Madam Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to table the government’s response to a freedom of information request for Treasury advice dated 13 December 2007.

Leave granted.

The Prime Minister’s commitment to open government and to FOI law reform has been proved to be worthless by this response to a request for Treasury advice. This is important because the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has now been caught out, because she has said repeatedly, ‘There is no advice.’ She said that they have received no advice. They have received advice; it is in that Treasury document.

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