Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Hansard source

I make those points as being directly relevant to the this period of caretaker government where we would wish as an opposition to utilise the services of the Parliamentary Budget Office, because we cannot trust Treasury—to whom the coat-tails of the Treasury are connected to this proposed parliamentary budget office as the government sees it.

It is quite shocking that we have been debating this for many hours. The shadow minister for finance has asked many direct and pertinent questions of the parliamentary secretary who has been placed in change of the carriage of this legislation. He was told he may not speak and therefore none of the questions have been answered. This is yet another example of the duplicity of this government with everything they bring into this House. And, unfortunately, they are being aided and abetted by the Independents, who were the beneficiaries of the fallacious briefing on the so-called black hole of the budget costings of the opposition prior to the last election.

In fact, Mr Windsor, straight after that briefing went on Lateline and announced that the Treasury had told me that the so-called black hole was between $7 billion and $11 billion. Even Tony Jones had the grace to say, 'That's a $4 billion difference. Can't they be more accurate than that?' He was flummoxed; he could not answer. But it was good enough—he accepted it—and they went with the government. This amendment is vital to having an independent source of costing—one where we are not subject to having a politicised Treasury manipulate figures and present a case which is fallacious. There was no $11 billion hole. It simply did not exist. I have outlined in this parliament on two occasions, on two separate interventions, why it simply was not true.

We cannot have this situation where, again and again, the opposition is placed in the position of not being able to have a truly independent system of costing their policies. That is why this amendment is important. The government knows when the election will be called; the opposition does not. The caretaker period is vital to its being a valid exercise.

Question put.

The House divided [23:19]

(The Speaker—Mr Harry Jenkins)

Question negatived. The House divided. [23:23]

(The Speaker—Mr Harry Jenkins)

Question negatived.

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