Jodie Campbell (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. What are the consequences of the Liberals’ decision to block the government’s action on alcopops?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for her question. We on this side of the House are concerned that the decision of the Liberal Party means that alcopops will be sold around the country at lower prices in just a few weeks time. Every single one of those teenagers is going to be saying cheers to Malcolm Turnbull for one of the biggest shouts in the country—all on his ledger. There is a very serious issue at stake here. Yesterday the Liberal Party wrote a cheque to the distillers not just for $300 million but for $1.6 billion into the future. The member for Dickson and the Leader of the Opposition are prepared to advocate for that $300 million as hush money for the distillers.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a lie and a fabrication!

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

The member for Dickson will withdraw.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I said it was a lie, and it is a lie. It is a lie not just by this minister but by the Prime Minister as well. They completely misrepresent the position of the opposition. We do not want to give this money back to the distillers. It should stay with the government for education programs, not be given back by Mr Rudd.

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

The member for Dickson is warned and he will now withdraw.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Again I am getting the rolling of eyes—it is just that it is now from the right and not the left. This shows the difficulty of my position. The only option open to me was to warn, because I do not think that particular member has recognised, in the number of times that he has been given a one-hour suspension under 94(a), that he cannot do what he is doing.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Abbott interjecting

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

Order! The member for Warringah is not in any privileged place such that he can mutter on in that way either.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand why the opposition is sensitive about this. The opposition has allowed the distillers to express their largesse. The distillers will say that we can, at their discretion, keep the $300 million so that they can make billions and billions in profits years into the future. This is hush money and the Liberal Party has fallen for that trick. We are not going to fall for that trick. Because of the Liberal Party, $1.6 billion into the future has been lost. That is not acceptable. We know that Mr Turnbull—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I refer you to standing order 90, ‘Reflections on Members’, and to the imputation that there is payment of hush money. It is disorderly and I ask you to ask the minister to withdraw.

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

The minister has the call.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If there is any doubt in people’s minds about whose idea this was, I table a letter from the distillers which makes it clear that they, in their largesse, will allow us to keep $300 million if we just give them a teensy-weensy tax break into the future of several billions of dollars. We are not prepared to do that. We are not prepared to see the price of alcopops reduced. They will be called ‘Malcopops’ around the country into the future because of the position of the Leader of Opposition. We want to make sure that young people get protection and are not saying cheers to Mr Turnbull at every 18th birthday party around the country.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the minister said she would table the letter from the distillers. I ask her to table the letter.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table the letter.