Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) extensive television and newspaper reporting of the Assistant Treasurer's involvement in wide-scale branch-stacking;

(b) the Assistant Treasurer has so far refused to explain himself in the House, and instead moved to gag debate; and

(c) the Prime Minister has not condemned the Assistant Treasurer's actions, despite clear breaches of the ministerial standards;

(2) invites the Assistant Treasurer to attend this House within the next 60 minutes and make a statement of no longer than 60 minutes length; and

(3) further notes, if 60 minutes is not enough, the minister may request a further 60 minutes for his statement.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Blaxland from moving the following motion immediately—

That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) extensive television and newspaper reporting of the Assistant Treasurer's involvement in wide-scale branch-stacking;

(b) the Assistant Treasurer has so far refused to explain himself in the House, and instead moved to gag debate; and

(c) the Prime Minister has not condemned the Assistant Treasurer's actions, despite clear breaches of the ministerial standards;

(2) invites the Assistant Treasurer to attend this House within the next 60 minutes and make a statement of no longer than 60 minutes length; and

(3) further notes, if 60 minutes is not enough, the minister may request a further 60 minutes for his statement.

Tick, tick, tick! The clock is ticking on this minister. John Howard would have sacked this minister last week. That is exactly what he did when he was Prime Minister in 1996. He sacked three ministers for the misuse of taxpayers'—

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