Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I, as Prime Minister, have absolute confidence in the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia. I say that in the full confidence that those sitting behind the Leader of the Opposition today have passing and fading confidence in him. We have here a Leader of the Opposition who stands in this chamber in a state of denial, as if somehow the events of this week have simply not happened, that they have just passed by, that they are of no consequence whatsoever and that it is all simply a bad dream that will go away. I have something to say to the Leader of the Opposition: this is not a bad dream that will just go away; it is a nightmare and it will not go away. It goes to the future of the Leader of the Opposition’s tenuous hold on his position in this place.

I say to the Leader of the Opposition as he continues on this particular matter: if he wants to look carefully at the consequences for himself they go to two matters: (1) his entire integrity has been shattered by this process and (2) his authority within his own party has been equally undermined and shattered as well—as seen by three sets of policy splits across the coalition. There have been three major matters before this parliament where he cannot even command the unity of his party.

I also say to the Leader of the Opposition, who was asked about this matter this morning: if we need some sort of bellwether as to how things are going over that side of the House on this matter we need look no further than the member for North Sydney, the shadow Treasurer. Let us look at what the member for North Sydney had to say when asked about the question of responsibility for this tawdry forged email affair. The member for North Sydney was asked last night by Tony Jones the following question:

So, the buck does not stop with Malcolm Turnbull for what is being identified by many people as a tactical blunder and a disaster.

Joe Hockey’s response:

Well, you know what, Tony, I’m part of a team. I mean you don’t always agree with the individual decisions that are made by the individual players in the team.

That is what I call 100 per cent loyalty!

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