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

Mr Speaker, my question is to the Prime Minister. Given the Prime Minister has admitted that Mr Hodges informed his superiors of his phone calls to the office of the ACT minister for Indigenous affairs and Ms Sattler on Thursday, at what time and on what day was she informed?

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

I have answered these questions before and let me answer them again. I answered them on the Saturday following Australia Day and I refer the Leader of the Opposition to my transcripts, seeing that he has obviously missed it somehow. When I answered these questions on that day, what I said is what is accurate, which is that I went to Flowerdale on the morning after Australia Day, I returned to my office in Melbourne and I was subsequently briefed in full by my staff on their investigations of what by then were a wide set of allegations that were circulating through the media—not one allegation but a wide set of allegations. When I received that briefing in full I was also briefed that Mr Hodges had offered his resignation to my chief of staff. In those circumstances I met with Mr Hodges, he offered his resignation to me and I accepted it for what I viewed to be a grave error of judgment by Mr Hodges. Mr Hodges acted alone; his conduct was not authorised; it was not the right thing to do and he has paid the price for it.

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

Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Does the Prime Minister seriously expect the public or this House to believe that in a matter so serious she was not told by her office for 24 hours?

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

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: questions cannot contain that sort of argument and polemic.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The supplementary question is ruled out of order.