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

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately—That this House calls on the Prime Minister to explain—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! The leader will pause and the House will listen to the leader in complete silence. The Leader of the Opposition has the call and he will recommence the motion that he is proposing to move.

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

I presume my time will start again, Mr Speaker.

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

The clock will start again.

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

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately—That this House calls on the Prime Minister to explain why the Government rejected the recommended candidate to chair the Future Fund and to explain further why the Government:

(1) didn’t run a competent selection process; and

(2) hasn’t been honest about the choice of leadership for the Future Fund which is charged with the responsibility of managing $70 billion of taxpayer funds.

Standing orders must be suspended because, when it comes to the appointment of the Future Fund chairman, this government has been incompetent in managing it and dishonest in explaining it. The Future Fund is $70 billion worth of taxpayers' money, which should be treated as a sacred trust. Instead, so typically, we have had a Prime Minister looking shifty and evasive, looking angry and shrill in this parliament. Standing orders must be suspended, because this Prime Minister owes the country an explanation. She owes the country an explanation as to why the person she has appointed to chair the Future Fund does not think he is the person for the job. That is the truth, Mr Speaker. That is why standing orders should be suspended. She has just appointed to chair the Future Fund someone who says, 'I'm not the best person for the job.' What a classic example of incompetence and dishonesty from this government.

Standing orders must be suspended, because David Gonski, a distinguished and respected businessman, advised that Peter Costello was the clear preference of the Future Fund Board of Guardians for the chairmanship. David Gonski told the government that Peter Costello should be appointed. That was his clear recommendation. The government rejected the recommendation because, while he might have been economically competent, as far as they were concerned Peter Costello was not politically correct. They chose their version of political correctness ahead of clear economic competence. That is why standing orders should be suspended: because the government always chooses good politics over good economics. It is one of the reasons why they are so on the nose with the general public.

Standing orders should be suspended, because this government, yet again, has been dishonest in its explanations of this matter. What else can we expect from a government which never tells the truth when it would be more convenient to lie.

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

Order!

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

I apologise; I withdraw.

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

No, the leader will pause. This is not a motion of censure; this is a motion to suspend. The leader will withdraw the accusation of dishonesty.

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

In slavish deference—in respectful deference, Mr Speaker, I withdraw.

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

Without condition.

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

It would be very valuable to get some facts here. Peter Costello is not just on the board of the Future Fund; he was not just appointed to the Future Fund by a previous Labor Prime Minister of more magnanimity than the current Labor Prime Minister—he created the Future Fund. The Future Fund exists only because of the good economic management of the previous government. That is why standing orders should be suspended so that these facts can be put clearly on the table.

Let us look at the record of Peter Costello: more than two million new jobs, a 20 per cent increase in real wages, a doubling of net wealth for the Australian people—every Australian man, woman and child had his or her net wealth doubled under Peter Costello. Surely, if there is one person who is eminently qualified to chair the Future Fund he created it is the former Treasurer of this country—the greatest Treasurer this country has ever had. He was good enough for Kevin Rudd, the former Prime Minister, to put on the Future Fund. Why isn't he good enough for this inadequate, unworthy, at times embarrassing Prime Minister to put into the chairmanship of the Future Fund?

Let us look at the record and see why standing orders should be suspended. This former Treasurer repaid Labor's debt. He was able to create the Future Fund because he repaid Labor's debt. He turned $96 billion worth of debt into $70 billion worth of net assets. Standing orders should be suspended, because he got Labor's reckless spending under control. He turned a $10 billion budget black hole into consistent $20-billion-a-year budget surpluses. This was a great Treasurer, and that is why he is absolutely the right person to chair the Future Fund that he created. And this is why standing orders must be suspended—so that some of the untruths that have been told by members opposite can be refuted.

Stephen Conroy, who rejoices in the position of Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, said today, 'I'd rather put my money under the control of David Gonski any day of the week ahead of Peter Costello.' The coalition is not against David Gonski, but David Gonski himself thinks Peter Costello was a better candidate, which is why standing orders must be suspended. What does it say about members opposite that they think it is their money—that they think the $70 billion of taxpayers' assets put into the Future Fund is somehow their money—to misuse for their politically correct purposes, not for the benefit of the Australian people? Peter Costello was the best Treasurer this country has ever had. That is why he is the right person to chair the Future Fund.

But it was not just Senator Conroy. Senator Cameron was also out there today, saying Peter Costello was a 'failed Treasurer'. Standing orders must be suspended, because if Senator Cameron thinks Peter Costello was a failed Treasurer then what on earth does he think about the current Treasurer? Peter Costello gave us the four biggest surpluses in history. The current Treasurer has given us the four biggest deficits in history. What does Senator Cameron think of the current Treasurer? Senator Cameron went on, in speaking about Peter Costello, to say that 'to give him any senior position would just be an absolute joke'. Hang on: what is he saying about former Prime Minister Rudd, who did give him a senior position—the senior position as a guardian of the Future Fund? Kevin Rudd, the member for Griffith, put Peter Costello on the Future Fund. Senator Cameron said that was an absolute joke, and then Senator Cameron goes around and says Kevin Rudd should be the Prime Minister again. Who is telling jokes now? This is why standing orders should be suspended: maybe Senator Cameron now agrees with the member for Bendigo that in fact the former Prime Minister is a psychopath with a big ego. What does it say about this Prime Minister that 31 people—31 members of the caucus—preferred a psychopath to her?

Let us look at what David Gonski said:

My report says that they wanted an insider. In my report it says that there is one person and I indicated to the department that there was strong endorsement for that person.

And what did the Minister for Finance and Deregulation say? She said that there was no recommendation from Mr Gonski's reports to the government for a particular person to be appointed.

There is a flat contradiction, and standing orders must be suspended, because when we have David Gonski's word on one hand and the word of the Minister for Finance and Deregulation on the other, I think we know who we can believe. Do we believe David Gonski, or do we believe the representative of a government that has been chronically untruthful?

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

The leader will return to the motion.

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

That is why standing orders must be suspended: to get to the bottom of this. We have a government that has been dishonest with the electorate over the carbon tax and dishonest with the electorate over gambling reform. The Prime Minister was dishonest to the electorate over Bob Carr. This is a government with truth deficit disorder.

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

Order!

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

They are telling lies now. That is why standing orders should be suspended.

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition has accused the Prime Minister of being dishonest and he has accused the government of telling lies. The Leader of the Opposition does not look remotely contrite, but if he wants to stay here he will move to the dispatch box and withdraw those two accusations.

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

I am delighted to withdraw, but every member in this House believes the same thing, and every member should come to the dispatch box and withdraw as I do.

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

The leader will return to the dispatch box and he will say, 'I withdraw those two terms', and not do as he endeavoured to do, which was to associate members of the coalition with the disorderly terms that he used.

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

I did accuse the government of being dishonest, I did accuse the Prime Minister of lying and I withdraw. I withdraw unconditionally.

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

Is the motion seconded?

Mr Pyne interjecting—

I did not hear what the Manager of Opposition Business had to say, but perhaps he wants to assist the chamber by withdrawing.

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

I think it would assist the chamber, and I am embarrassed to say that I also said that the Prime Minister was telling lies and was dishonest, so I also withdraw.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. We should suspend standing orders because there have been a number of failures that must be dealt with urgently by this House. In the first place, there has been a complete failure of good governance. David Murray, the outgoing chairman of the Future Fund, actually said:

The decision has been left late every time …

You need to give people information and you need to make decisions in a timely way. It helps to govern the organisation itself.

And the government has yet again procrastinated about the appointment of people to run the most important fund of money that Australian taxpayers have outside of the mainstream budget. But it goes further. The Minister for Finance and Deregulation and the Treasurer—

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

The honourable member will return to the motion before the chair.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Finance and Deregulation and the Treasurer have sought to engage outside consultants to appoint a chairman of the Future Fund. They went through a process—this is why standing orders must be suspended—to find the most appropriate person. They engaged an outside consulting firm and, when they were not satisfied with that, they engaged Mr Gonski to give them a recommendation on whom the guardians themselves believed to be the very best person to chair the Future Fund. Mr Gonski reported back to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation that the view of the guardians is in fact that Peter Costello is the best person to do it.

Standing orders must be suspended because the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, only a few days ago, led people to believe—and I am prepared to quote her—that there was no recommendation from anyone to appoint Peter Costello. But the fact of the matter is that, even though the Minister for Finance and Deregulation deliberately misled not only the Australian people—

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

Order! The honourable member is aware that it is disorderly to reflect on members of this chamber or the other place. The member will withdraw.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw. The Minister for Finance and Deregulation has repeatedly said that Mr Gonski had made no recommendation. On the ABC's World Today yesterday, she said:

He made no recommendations.

She said that on ABC Radio yesterday. It is now revealed in today's Australian that Mr Gonski did in fact make recommendations. The article quotes Mr Gonski as saying:

My job was to advise the government on what the board thought. The board said they wanted an insider and they designated by majority that the insider was Peter.

'Peter' means Peter Costello.

This is why standing orders must be suspended. The Minister for Finance and Deregulation is running around saying that there was no recommendation from David Gonski about the chairmanship of the Future Fund, yet Mr Gonski himself, who was engaged by the government, has now declared that in fact he did make a recommendation—that recommendation being Mr Costello. Suspending standing orders is so urgent because this represents the way this government operates. We have to stop this government from more incompetence; we have to stop this government from any more acts of poor corporate governance involving taxpayers' money—and we are doing so.

Brian Watson has belled the cat. He said—

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

The honourable member will return to the suspension motion.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We must suspend standing orders because Mr Watson has said that Mr Gonski interviewed the members of the Future Fund in confidence to get their views on the Future Fund and the membership of the Future Fund. Now Mr Gonski has been appointed to chair the Future Fund—such practice is widely regarded as poor corporate governance in Australia.

This government treats Peter Costello with contempt. This government treats Australian taxpayers with contempt. Do not let the Australian government treat people with contempt in future. Get back to good corporate governance, get out of the job and let us govern. (Time expired)

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We understand that, when we get to the Thursday at the end of a parliamentary week and when we have the 46th suspension of standing orders, the only thing those opposite—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! There is too much of a crescendo in the chamber. I cannot hear the Attorney-General and if I cannot hear the Attorney-General then other honourable members cannot either.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We understand why those opposite get so agitated about this. But on the Thursday at the end of a sitting week, when any of a range of important issues could be raised, the only jobs they want to talk about are jobs for Liberal Party members. That is the only thing they want to talk about. We could have talked about the hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country, we could have talked about superannuation or we could have talked about the flood affected communities that are still under pressure. Instead, those opposite are only interested in talking about jobs for Liberal boys. Is that really the only thing that we can—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The minister will be heard in silence for the balance of her contribution.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously we disagree with the motion to suspend standing orders. We believe that there is a long list—a list that would run from here to the door—of issues that are far more important than talking about whether there should be a job for a Liberal boy who Mr Abbott thinks is better than Mr Gonski. The reason Mr Gonski was chosen for this job—

Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I ask you to direct the Attorney-General to withdraw the offensive comment. I find the term 'Liberal boys' offensive and I ask you to direct her to withdraw it.

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

The offensive term, in your view, was 'Liberal boys'? I am all about civility but I think that is stretching it a little.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let us be completely honest about this—everyone on this side of the House can understand why Mr Costello would be disappointed. He just cannot seem to get a leadership job, whether it is in here or whether it is anywhere else. It is absolutely understandable why he would be disappointed about it.

Ms O'Dwyer interjecting—

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

Order! The honourable member for Higgins will remove herself under the provisions of standing order 94(a).

The member for Higgins then left the chamber.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But let us look at the issue that is being talked about here. We appointed an absolutely outstanding Australian, someone who is a leader in the business community. Not only do we think he is an outstanding Australian—he has held the chairmanships of not only boards of the biggest companies that operate in Australia but also the Australian Stock Exchange—but just one day ago, not even 24 hours ago, the shadow Treasurer and the shadow finance minister issued a press release to say that they welcomed this appointment. It is now such an outrageous thing, from yesterday at two o'clock when they issued a press release to say that this was good news and that they welcomed the appointment, that we have to suspend standing orders.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

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

The honourable Minister for Health will remove herself from the chamber under the provisions of standing order 94(a). I have directed that all honourable members will listen to the Attorney-General in silence, and that includes the minister.

The member for Sydney then left the chamber.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It took them 24 hours to decide that they accidentally said yes to something, when they so often want to say no—that it is important that every other matter that is listed for debate in the parliament should take secondary importance. This is a nonsense. I could go through every member on this side of the House and tell you the top five issues they would think were more important to be debated in this House. I know absolutely for sure that if I went to the crossbenchers, particularly the National Party members and the Liberal Party members whose seats are still under water because they have been affected by the floods, I could pick any number of issues much more important for this House to be debating than this issue here now.

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

The Attorney-General will return to the specifics of the question.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am addressing the suspension, Mr Speaker, and arguing that this particular issue does not merit the suspension of standing orders. I do not think that the appointment of an outstanding Australian, welcomed across the business community and welcomed by the shadow Treasurer and the shadow finance minister only 24 hours ago, could somehow be transformed into an issue of such importance that we should suspend standing orders to debate it.

Let us also look at the history here. We have never on this side of the parliament said that being a member of the Liberal Party or being a member of the National Party was a disqualifier for a job. In fact we have been incredibly generous as a government in appointing people who have been good and skilled, and recognised in the community as such, to many different positions. We have appointed people to represent us at NATO—he was in the House just a couple of days ago—and to represent us at the World Health Organisation. We appointed Mr Fischer to be Ambassador to the Holy See. We have appointed so many different experienced people across all sides of the political spectrum.

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

The Attorney-General will return to the motion.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Each time we have said, 'Who is the best person for the job?' On this occasion, we do not believe that it merits suspending standing orders when it is clear that it is an outstanding Australian, Mr David Gonski, who deserves the support of this chamber, who was the ASX chairman and who has chaired everything from the Sydney Theatre Company through to Coca-Cola, has been the Chancellor at the University of New South Wales and has provided advice to government on a range of different things from e-health to education. He is an absolutely outstanding individual and there can be no possible reason that we should call into question his appointment, and certainly no possible reason that we should suspend standing orders to do it.

We are not going to waste, and we ought not to waste, valuable time in this parliament when there are so many other issues in the community and a range of so many jobs in each electorate that people would happily talk about. Yet there is only one job that those opposite think is worth talking about, and that is a job for a Liberal. Why should that be the priority over any other job that should be discussed in this chamber? We know that employment is challenging. We know that in Victoria, for example, there are challenges in the manufacturing industry, and the industry minister talked about a number of those issues. We are working damn hard over this side of the House to make sure that those people get supported, but would you ever have a debate on those issues in here? Not once. Would you ever have a question on those issues in here? The only job that they can get worked up about is one for a Liberal colleague that they did not even support for the top job here. I think there has to be a bit of irony. The Leader of the Opposition—

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

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired.

A division having been called and the bells being rung—

Because of the precipitate termination of question time, I did not have the opportunity to recognise in the gallery 16 of Australia's most talented young people, who make up our youth delegations to the G20, the Rio+20 Earth Summit, NATO and a visit to Israel. They are hosted by Global Voices. On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome those young people to the gallery.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The question before the chair is that the motion moved by the honourable Leader of the Opposition for the suspension of standing and sessional orders be agreed to.

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

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.