Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

We have been hearing over the weekend and in the early part of this week that this is the debate that will bring down the Prime Minister and the Treasurer of the country. You know what the attendance was at the shadow Treasurer’s address on this? Twenty-five of the 64 coalition members thought it was important enough to come along. They stayed away in droves. Thirty-nine coalition MPs thought it was such a yawn that they did not even bother to turn up. Certainly, the Leader of the Opposition, who said this was the great debate that was going to bring down the Prime Minister and that was going to bring down the Treasurer, did not bother to turn up either. They stayed away in droves. Although I do not know the details—it might have been another fractious party room meeting of the coalition this morning—I am assured it is not true that Brendan had someone in a half-nelson. But I believe it is true that the member who has just spoken, the Leader of the National Party, had most of the party in a sleeper hold, so boring was he in his address here in the great debate that was going to bring down the government, bring down the Prime Minister and bring down the Treasurer.

A number of accusations have been made by the coalition, and I want to address some of them. For example, there is an accusation that only John Grant received special attention. The truth of the matter is that the emails that the Treasurer released yesterday show that other car dealers were receiving as much, if not more, attention from the Treasurer. At least three other dealers got similar or greater assistance to that which was offered to John Grant. Treasury also assisted at least four of these dealers by arranging meetings with financiers, including Ford Credit. So that demolishes the argument about special treatment for Mr John Grant.

The coalition are astonished that the Treasurer of the country would have a home fax. That does reveal that they work absolutely strict hours—nine to five. They were a nine-to-five government. The Treasurer and the Prime Minister of this country, now that the Labor Party is in government, do actually work after 5 pm and do have home communications. This is a novelty to the coalition: ‘Wow! How is it that the Treasurer would actually be working after five o’clock and receive faxes and emails at home? Well, well, well!’ What a revelation.

Another accusation is that only John Grant had personal updates sent to the Treasurer’s home fax.

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