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. Given that the Prime Minister indicated in her previous answer that it is proper to contact Fair Work Australia when previously she has said it was improper to do so, what is preventing her from contacting Fair Work Australia to ask them to resolve the unacceptable delay in the investigation of the member for Dobell, which is now in its fourth year?

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

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is certainly not in order for the Manager of Opposition Business to ask a question such as that which attempts to put words in the Prime Minister's mouth. That is clearly disorderly.

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

I call the Prime Minister.

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

To the member who asked the question, I say: I did not say that. The reason the member is probably confused is that day after day the opposition has been pursuing two completely logically inconsistent lines of attack in relation to this Fair Work matter. That is not surprising because when you are the kind of people who always say no and are negative about anything, why would you worry about consistency?

Some days they come into this parliament, and they are in the media too, asserting: 'The government has made contact with Fair Work Australia. This is a conspiracy. We need to know all about this. This is about improper influence.' Some days they say that, but that line of attack came to a shuddering halt today, repudiated in Senate estimates. The General Manager of Fair Work Australia, having properly looked at the matter, stated clearly on the record that there has been no interference. So whenever the opposition says that in the future, people will know that they are trying deliberately to mislead.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The question was: what is preventing the Prime Minister from calling Fair Work Australia to ask why this investigation—

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. When the Prime Minister's colleagues behind her are silent, I will say to the Prime Minister that she has the call. However, the Prime Minister should take note of the specifics of the question.

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

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I will do that. The reason the general manager of Fair Work Australia is in a position to say there has been no interference is that contacts between the government and Fair Work Australia have been about fact finding, as is now on the public record for all to see in Senate estimates. The opposition, in its completely logically inconsistent other line of attack, has invited me to ring up Fair Work Australia and direct them to do something. That is wrong. Every day the opposition says that it should be done they are out there saying something that would be wrong in our democracy—the wrong thing to do, the result of shoddy thinking by and the shoddy standards of people who are obviously used to standing over others and bullying them to get their way. This government is behaving entirely properly in relation to this matter. I refer the parliament to the statement of the general manager of Fair Work Australia today, and I say to the member opposite: what pathetic muckraking this is.

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 of the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister now reveal the nature and the content of all the communications between the former Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the current Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and the Prime Minister and her office in relation to the investigation into the member for Dobell?

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

The supplementary question is out of order.