Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How many other governments around the world are paying money to crims to stimulate their economies and tackle the global financial crisis? Is this yet another example of the Prime Minister showing global leadership?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind the House that the global leadership provided by the Howard government was to preside over the biggest corruption scandal in Australia’s history—it was called the wheat for weapons scandal. There they all sat in the cabinet while it all happened and pretended that they had nothing to do with it.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on the question of relevance. The Prime Minister was asked about the buck stopping with him as the Prime Minister of Australia today and not ancient history.

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

I take it that the point of order was on relevance, because the paraphrasing of the question was extraordinarily wide of the original question. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I thank the member for Sturt in particular for his interjection. The wheat for weapons corruption scandal did not happen in ancient Mesopotamia. It happened in modern Iraq and it only happened a few years ago. But, then again, not one for details is the member for Sturt, as reflected in his engagement yesterday with the Deputy Prime Minister on that minor matter of schools. But we will just let that rest.

I am surprised indeed by the member for Casey’s question, given his role as the deputy numbers man for the member for Higgins. To launch a vicarious attack through me on the member for Higgins, the former Treasurer, for having administered selfsame payment to the same category of individuals, I find remarkable indeed. My response to the honourable member’s question is: reflect carefully on the arrangements which pertained to and were implemented under the previous government.