Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer and Acting Prime Minister. Can the Acting Prime Minister confirm that the government ignored departmental data on suitable locations for family relationship centres and that, instead of these centres being located in places like Alice Springs, there are now plans to open centres in Murray, the Minister for Workforce Participation’s seat; Warringah, the health minister’s seat; Riverina, the former chair of the Family and Community Services Committee’s seat; Dickson, the Assistant Treasurer’s seat; and Bennelong, the Prime Minister’s seat—all contrary to departmental advice? Why are Warringah and Bennelong, which have among the lowest numbers of children eligible to receive child support and the lowest numbers of children in single-parent families, the most appropriate places to put these family services rather than areas such as Alice Springs?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is one of the location of family relationship centres and why they are in one place and not another. Here is my answer: why didn’t we just leave the family relationship centres in all the places where the Labor Party had placed them between 1983 and 1996? There weren’t any! There was not a single family relationship centre in a single electorate between 1983 and 1996. Here we have the Labor Party saying: ‘You’ve introduced 65; there aren’t enough around Australia. Look at our record: we had none’! The opposition gets worse by the minute.

Let me go to the question of Aboriginal disadvantage. As the Minister for FaCSIA said a moment ago, when you are dealing with crime of the levels that you are in Aboriginal communities, family relationship centres, which deal with marital breakdown, are not the front-line services that you need. The front-line services that you need are a police force that is capable of apprehending those who are engaged in crime, a court system that will try them and a jail system that will punish them.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing order 104. The question referred to why the government had ignored departmental advice. We would like an answer to that question.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been listening carefully to the Acting Prime Minister’s answer. He is relevant to the question. I call the Acting Prime Minister.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me conclude by saying what the government did announce in relation to Indigenous affairs. It was much greater than any family relationship centre: a $3.3 billion expenditure; 24 new measures, totalling $372.9 million—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Grayndler will come straight to his point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Standing order 104. How’s that for straight?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler will raise his point of order and not try to debate or reflect on the chair. I heard the Acting Prime Minister mention the words quite clearly—family relationship centres, which is exactly what the question was about. I call the Acting Prime Minister. He is in order.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The family relationship centres—

Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I refer you to the question, which dealt with departmental advice and the location of family relationship centres. I am raising a point of relevance, the only recourse available to the opposition.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind the Chief Opposition Whip that I have just ruled that the Acting Prime Minister’s answer is relevant. He has only just started to continue his answer and he is entitled to be heard.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So 65 new family relationship centres have been established by this government—

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Roxon interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Gellibrand is warned!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the first and the only government to ever establish a family relationship centre. That is in addition to what we have done in relation to Indigenous affairs: a $3.3 billion allocation for Indigenous affairs, for things that Indigenous people really need, such as health, housing and most of all law and order. The suggestion that you can confront those problems through family relationship centres is wrong. Indigenous people deserve a lot more than family relationship centres. They deserve front-line services in law and order, health and education, which is what this government is developing.