Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer.

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

Oh! Come on, Andrew.

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

Order! The Leader of the House! The member for Goldstein has the call.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I refer the Treasurer—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! The member for Goldstein will resume his seat. I would have thought, after the events of last Thursday, that both sides of the House would understand that the Australian public has an expectation of better behaviour. Standing order 65(b) applies to both sides. If somebody has a problem with that, they should do it by point of order. The member for Goldstein has the call and he will be able to be heard with his question in silence.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to KPMG’s analysis which has found that, in addition to four-year budget funding of $22 billion for infrastructure, a further $60 billion will be required if many of the government’s infrastructure projects are ever to be built. Treasurer, does the Prime Minister’s debt figure of $315 billion include the $60 billion of unfunded infrastructure that needs to be borrowed?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is absolutely stunning coming from those opposite, who would not invest in infrastructure in this country for 12 years. When we finally stump up the money and put in place plans for the future they get up and say, ‘Why haven’t you spent more?’ while simultaneously saying to us that we should not borrow to build the nation. How stupid can you people be? It is unbelievable. How stupid can you be? The Leader of the Opposition goes on national television and says that, in the middle of the worst global crisis in 75 years, the country should not be borrowing money to protect our people. That is effectively what he said. And he is saying in those negative ads where he talks the economy down he will not acknowledge we are in the middle of a global recession and he will not acknowledge the important need for—

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 under standing order 104. The Treasurer was asked whether the $315 billion debt figure—

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat.

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

includes the $60 billion—

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat! The member is allowed to come to the dispatch box to raise his point of order and when I am in a position to deal with it and I ask him to take his seat I do not need it to be debated. If there is a need for clarification, I will allow the call to continue. The Treasurer will relate his response to the question.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, it was a question about borrowing and of course what I was referring to was the stunning hypocrisy of the member and all of those opposite, when they sit in the House and pretend that no borrowing is necessary to protect our people, when we have seen evidence in the retail sales figures of how important economic stimulus is. This question of borrowing got a bit of an airing yesterday on Insiders and this is what Mr Cassidy said to the Leader of the Opposition. He said, ‘How much less would borrowing be?’

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. He is the Treasurer of the Commonwealth. He should—

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

The member for North Sydney will resume his seat.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

be able to answer this question.

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

The member for North Sydney is warned. The Treasurer will respond to the question.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly am responding to the question about borrowing, Mr Speaker. I am being directly relevant. The Leader of the Opposition was asked about it yesterday on Insiders. He was asked how much less the borrowings of those opposite would be. The Leader of the Opposition said it would be a lot less. And Mr Cassidy went on:

… if you could give us a very precise idea about how much less.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Treasurer is defying your ruling on relevance. The Treasurer was asked how he is going to fill a $60 billion black hole. He needs to answer this question.

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

Order! The member for Goldstein will resume his seat. The Treasurer will direct his remarks to the question.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member talked about a black hole. If there is a black hole it was left to us by the opposition—absolutely! The $60 billion that they are claiming is a gap was left to us by them.

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

Those on my left, order!

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

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

The member for Dickson is warned!

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Insiders yesterday this is what the Leader of the Opposition had to say.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you that embarrassed by it? Are you that embarrassed by his performance yesterday? He was asked by Mr Cassidy—

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

I rise on a point of order.

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat. I will be listening closely to the Treasurer’s response. He will be relevant to the question.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Cassidy:

… if you could give us a very precise idea about how much less.

The Leader of the Opposition:

… it isn’t possible …