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

Thank you for the build-up, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Treasurer. Now that the Treasurer has conceded finally that, of the 240 car dealers the government says required support, just one car dealer had a phone call from the Treasurer, how many had updates of their cases faxed or emailed to the Treasurer’s home?

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

Here we go again with this fantastic exaggeration and smear. The fact is that my office did receive updates—

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

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

Order! The member for North Sydney has asked his question.

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

and they were regular, they were when I was in the office and they went into my in-tray. That is where they go. When I am home, they may go to my home fax. I do not know what the work ethic of the shadow Treasurer was when he was a minister, but, going by the laughter we heard yesterday when it was suggested that sending a fax to my home at 5.15 was some extreme event, I think that we can take it that they did not work weekends. I think we can take that. But this government does work hard and things are sent to the home fax.

I went through the fact before that Mr Grech sent some faxes to my home fax which were not invited because he hit ‘reply all’. The opposition seek to distort that fact. In fact, my departmental liaison officer went to some lengths to say to Mr Grech not to send faxes to my home—and that is on the public record for anybody to see. But, through my office, by phone, by email and by other contact there were numerous contacts with car dealers and the industry over a long period of time—and of course not all of them are documented, like they are documented in email. Nevertheless, that was what was going on through the period.

Those opposite simply do not understand the nature of the challenge that this country is facing. They do not understand what was going on during that period and so, as a consequence, cannot conceive that there was a huge volume of activity—

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question is very simple. It goes to the point: how many car dealers had their information sent to his home?

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

Order! The member for North Sydney will resume his seat. It is not an opportunity just to repeat the question. The Treasurer was responding to the question.

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

It does not matter whether it went to my home or whether it went to the in-tray in my office or whether I met them out on the road in an electorate. There was a huge volume of email. I have detailed the nature of that email. I have detailed the 130-odd emails from Mr Grech. Only a handful of those were concerned with Mr Grant. So there must have been a lot, an enormous amount, and one or two did go to my home fax. That signifies absolutely nothing whatsoever. You see, they are so acutely embarrassed by their current circumstances, having hawked a fake email around the top end of town for weeks—

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

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

It’s my fault again? The email is the fault of the government? He has been smearing the government—

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

Order! The member for North Sydney and the Treasurer will resume their seats!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Turnbull interjecting

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition! The Treasurer will start to sum up his answer.

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

The Leader of the Opposition has yet again demonstrated to this House that he is unfit for the office he holds and he should resign.