Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and relates to his last answer. I also refer the minister to his statement on ABC Radio on Friday, where the minister said about his new taxpayer funded advertisements:

Well they’re very plain, they’re very simple, they direct people to a phone number for the Workplace Information Line ... there is no spin in these ads, it is purely informative.

Minister, isn’t it the case that the script for those who answer the calls on the information line states:

... at no time is an adviser to use the phrase ‘I don’t know’ when answering the caller’s query. Rather, advisers should say that ‘this is the information that is currently available; we can offer you a call back when further information becomes available’.

How can the minister say his advertisements are ‘informative’ when there is no information to be provided?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We had a significant increase in traffic to the website and in phone calls to the info line after the ads appeared. People are asking a vast range of questions, including questions about the state industrial relations systems and requesting information about state laws. Of course, the federal Workplace Infoline is going to take those questions on notice and come back to individuals with information that may answer their questions. I think that is an entirely appropriate way to respond. You know what? We do not want people to make up the answers.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I really do not think the Labor Party should laugh. The Labor Party makes up allegations and the Labor Party seeks to make up answers. What we have found is that people are now ringing the Workplace Infoline and they are getting answers to the questions that they are genuinely concerned about. What we have also found out is that, when there is a dropout rate, it tends to be political questions that are being asked rather than factual questions. That would come as no surprise to anyone.