Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Special Minister of State and Special Minister of State for Public Service and Integrity. Is the minister aware of recent statements made regarding the role played by the Public Service in delivering important services to the Australian community? Will the minister outline the government's view of the competence and professionalism of the Australian Public Service?

Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service and Integrity) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Canberra for her question. The matter of the Australian Public Service is extremely important to the member for Canberra, and I understand that. The Australian Public Service really does not get the recognition that it deserves. Every hour of every day somewhere around the world there is an Australian public servant working in the interests of our people and of our nation.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service and Integrity) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite might think that is funny, but for those who are in trouble and who need the assistance of the Australian Public Service we all know that they are available. It often goes unnoticed that at the core of our Australian Public Service is a commitment to serve the Australian community, our families and our businesses. The Australian Public Service is world leading in its policy practice and methods.

Those opposite and we in the government may not always see eye to eye on all things but at least we should agree that the advice from the Australian Public Service is unbiased, evidence based and objective. The role of the Australian Public Service is to provide policy advice and implementation of it irrespective of which political party is on this side of the House. That is at the core of the professionalism of the Australian Public Service.

I am reminded, however, of the question that goes to the core of comments about the Australian Public Service. Yesterday, for 20 hours during the debate on the parliamentary budget officer bill we noticed a number of claims about the Australian Public Service from those opposite, those who questioned the impartiality and professionalism of the Australian Public Service simply because those opposite cannot do their own maths. In this place last night the member for Mackellar accused the Treasury of being politicised, that the opposition did not submit its costs to Treasury because it cannot trust Treasury. The member further accused Treasury of finding the $11 billion black hole because of its bias. I must assume that the member was referring to Treasury's well-known bias for facts.

Last night the member for Cowan said:

When we look back at what happened at the time of the 2010 election we see the way in which Treasury was used and directed to find every possible way to undermine and cast doubt on the figures of the opposition.

This was not an admission that the figures of the opposition were inaccurate and did not add up but an assumption that Treasury officers would behave in a biased and unprincipled way. The member for Goldstein accused secretaries of departments of aiming to 'mislead Independents in the House' in order to get them to support the current government.

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

Order! The minister will resume his seat.

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 on relevance. Previously in question time during answers from both the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Minister for Defence, you have required ministers to go to the subject matter of the question they were asked, not deliver a diatribe directed at the opposition. I put it to you that the Special Minister of State is straying very far from those previous rulings and I ask you to bring him back to the answer.

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

It would appear that the minister has immediately reacted to the submission that was put to me by the member for Mackellar and has kept himself informed of what is in the press, on the television and in other sources. Having done that, I invite him to now conclude his answer on the substantive matters. I think that his incidental mention of people within the opposition is now well and truly sufficient to the extent that I am willing to allow. I will allow him to now conclude his answer.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mention Bob Brown this time!

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

Order! It strikes me as funny when people are asking me on a point of order not to mention other people and then inviting by interjection the mention of further people. The minister will ignore the interjections—it is a Western Australian thing—and conclude his answer on the subject matter.

Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service and Integrity) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, the Australian Public Service performs a vital function for all Australians in the work that they do to support not only the creation of good public policy but also the delivery of outstanding public administration. To have members of this place critical of the professionalism of our public sector is frankly akin to throwing truth and fact overboard—something that those opposite do from time to time with gay abandon.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The minister will now resume his place.