Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion, Mr Speaker. Standing orders must be suspended because the Prime Minister says you cannot believe everything you read, but the real problem with this Prime Minister is that you cannot believe anything she says. The Prime Minister should be required to come into the House and explain the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the botched attempt to appoint Bob Carr as the foreign minister. The Prime Minister is condemned by her own words. In question time today the Prime Minister said, in answer to a question from the opposition:

I believe that it is appropriate for me as Prime Minister to have discussions with people about having the best possible team. I have got a great team, but when we are seeking to add to the team of course you have a range of conversations.

The reason the Prime Minister was speaking to Bob Carr on Monday night is that she was seeking to bring him in from the outside to add to the team. It does not stack up with her statement yesterday that the Australian's report of this story was completely untrue. Again, she was condemned by her own words. In question time today she was asked a very straightforward question.

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