Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. I refer to the minister’s comments yesterday on the ABC Insiders program that some public servants think it normal to sit around ‘not doing very much’. Will the minister identify the public servants he says sit around not doing very much?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question is out of order under standing order 100(d)(ii).

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Mr Speaker: these are the words of the minister for finance. He referred to some public servants who think it normal to ‘not do very much’.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat and the Leader of the House will resume his seat. I am glad that he has found the standing orders at 100(d), but the question is in order.

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not say that at all. I did not make a statement of that kind with respect to public servants. In fact, the statement I made was with respect to the work ethic of the former government, actually asking the question of why it is that the Rudd government is setting a very strong agenda. The answer is very simple, and that is that there is an awful lot to do. The thrust of my comments yesterday related to the former government and that, if there were public servants struggling with additional work under the new government, the reason is that the former government did not do very much. My predecessor sat around and watched the cows come home. In the last four budgets, there were not any savings at all—no savings in the last four budgets. What was the Minister for Finance doing in the former government? Where were the savings? There is just one example. The Rudd government have a big, nation-building, reforming agenda. We are committed to working hard. We have a lot of things to do. The former government did very little and that is what my comments on Insiders were directed to.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The words ‘people in areas of the Public Service to think that not doing—’

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am seeking leave to table the transcript with the words ‘people in areas of the Public Service to think that not doing very much was normal’. I seek leave to table that.

Leave not granted.