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

My question is to the Prime Minister. How does the Prime Minister reconcile her answer denying that her staff rang Fair Work Australia in relation to the Thomson investigation with this quote from Mr Doug Williams, the then Commonwealth Industrial Registrar, on 26 September 2011, referring to her staff, when he said, 'I recall receiving a phone call in early 2009 concerning inquiries that I had initiated into the Health Services Union'?

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

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for getting right to the back of the archives and finding something that she has blown the dust off and bringing it into the parliament.

An opposition member: It was last year!

Yes, correct. It was last year. The matter was dealt with by Senate estimates in 2010, on 13 May. The answer provided is an accurate answer, and I refer the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to it.