Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

It has been quite amusing watching the Manager of Opposition Business doing the oldest trick in the book when there is a leadership challenge on in the Labor Party, trying to get his backbenchers into the chamber so they are not in their offices to take calls from Anthony Albanese. We all know that is what is going on here this morning.

Anthony Albanese was on FIVEaa radio this morning with me on our regular radio catch-up. He was asked twice by the radio presenters—and once by me, to be fair—to rule out challenging Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition, and he refused to do so. We have seen the member for Grayndler continuing his high profile in the press. This week of course he stood up to the member for Maribyrnong over the xenophobic television ad run by the Labor Party. He fired the starter gun on the challenge, and the Manager of Opposition Business has had his backbenchers in here this morning.

See this speech in context