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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the Treasurer’s previous answers regarding the preferential treatment provided to Mr John Grant, his friend and benefactor. Is the Prime Minister confident that the Treasurer’s answers in the House have been ‘an honest and comprehensive account’ as required by his own standards of ministerial ethics? Is the Prime Minister confident that the Treasurer has acted with fairness as required by his own standards of ministerial ethics? Does the Prime Minister have full confidence in the Treasurer’s administration of OzCar, especially in the way he looked after the Prime Minister’s mate?

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

I, as Prime Minister, have absolute confidence in the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia. I say that in the full confidence that those sitting behind the Leader of the Opposition today have passing and fading confidence in him. We have here a Leader of the Opposition who stands in this chamber in a state of denial, as if somehow the events of this week have simply not happened, that they have just passed by, that they are of no consequence whatsoever and that it is all simply a bad dream that will go away. I have something to say to the Leader of the Opposition: this is not a bad dream that will just go away; it is a nightmare and it will not go away. It goes to the future of the Leader of the Opposition’s tenuous hold on his position in this place.

I say to the Leader of the Opposition as he continues on this particular matter: if he wants to look carefully at the consequences for himself they go to two matters: (1) his entire integrity has been shattered by this process and (2) his authority within his own party has been equally undermined and shattered as well—as seen by three sets of policy splits across the coalition. There have been three major matters before this parliament where he cannot even command the unity of his party.

I also say to the Leader of the Opposition, who was asked about this matter this morning: if we need some sort of bellwether as to how things are going over that side of the House on this matter we need look no further than the member for North Sydney, the shadow Treasurer. Let us look at what the member for North Sydney had to say when asked about the question of responsibility for this tawdry forged email affair. The member for North Sydney was asked last night by Tony Jones the following question:

So, the buck does not stop with Malcolm Turnbull for what is being identified by many people as a tactical blunder and a disaster.

Joe Hockey’s response:

Well, you know what, Tony, I’m part of a team. I mean you don’t always agree with the individual decisions that are made by the individual players in the team.

That is what I call 100 per cent loyalty!

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

Keep going! Keep reading!

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The member for North Sydney will resume his seat.

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

He doth protest too much. Later in the interview, having given such an unqualified statement of loyalty to the current Leader of the Opposition, the member for North Sydney was asked by Tony Jones—

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order going to relevance. The Prime Minister has now been going for 3½ minutes and almost none of this has any relevance to the question asked.

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

Order! The Prime Minister will relate his material to the question.

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

The question I was asked concerned my confidence in the Treasurer. I affirmed that in my opening statement in response to this question. The member for North Sydney, who desperately does not want to hear this, was asked another question by Tony Jones last night. Jones said:

This is what Mr Turnbull said on AM this morning: ‘I’ve certainly spoken to Mr Grech, I know Mr Grech.’

That is the attribution to the Leader of the Opposition. Jones asked:

It is still unclear, though, what he spoke to him about. Do you, Mr Hockey, know what that was about?

Joe Hockey’s answer was this—another unqualified statement of solidarity and support:

Well, that’s a matter for Malcolm Turnbull and Godwin Grech, isn’t it?

That is what I would call 100 per cent loyalty! You know that if you are in a scrap you would want the member for North Sydney standing loyally behind you. What a rock solid wall of defence he represents!

On this matter, not only has the integrity—that which remains—of the Leader of the Opposition been fundamentally shattered by this forged email affair; on top of that his authority within the Liberal Party has been destroyed. On three major matters before this parliament, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, alcopops and immigration policy, his authority is so undermined he cannot even unite his party and unite the coalition in a single vote—and they are so desperate on the CPRS that they voted in the Senate to avoid voting. I say to those opposite who raise these matters that the Leader of the Opposition’s integrity has disappeared; his authority has disappeared. There is one reasonable thing for him to do under these circumstances: to stand, to apologise and to resign.