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

My question is to the Prime Minister. In light of the Prime Minister's answer to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition's question and her answer yesterday, does she stand by her statements she has made in the last few weeks that she has full confidence in the member for Dobell?

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

If I were going by my thoughts on this I would be ruling this question out of order, but given that this arises from previous questions—and only on that basis—I will allow the question.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I believe the member for Sturt's question is grossly inappropriate because it is doing what I do not think should be done in this place about any member of parliament and what I will specifically decline to do about members of parliament who face some sort of inquiry and that is to make a decision in advance of that inquiry about what the facts may be. If I were the sort of person who did that then I could start doing that about a senator from the Liberal Party. I do not believe that would be appropriate. Indeed, I believe that would be quite wrong.

Let us be very transparent about what has been done today. Mr Speaker, on another occasion you may choose to reflect on these questions. The opposition has put a values proposition about something in general and then has basically sought to assert that a member is in breach of that values proposition with no facts or evidence before them. If we are going to start that, I do genuinely fear where it will end. The appropriate conduct for members of parliament if matters are being investigated by appropriate authorities is to await the outcome of those investigations.