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. I refer the Prime Minister to her press conference on 29 April, where she said in relation to the member for Dobell, 'I have made a judgment about the parliament and about respect for the parliament.' How can the Australian people trust the Prime Minister on anything when she maintains that she is respecting the parliament by excluding the member for Dobell from the caucus but continuing to rely on his vote in this place to stay in power?

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

To the member for Sturt, I dealt with effectively an identical question yesterday. I do understand that the opposition do not want to ever come into this parliament and talk about jobs. They are not interested in jobs. They do not want to unveil their $70 billion of cutbacks in health and education. They do not want to talk about that. They of course do not want to talk about—

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

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker: the Prime Minister claims she has responded to questions, but she does not answer questions. Now what she is saying is not relevant to the question she was asked.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will ask the Prime Minister to answer the question before the chair.

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

I was merely pointing out that here we go again with the opposition in its spin and negativity. I refer the member for Sturt to the statement of the shadow Treasurer at the National Press Club on 16 May, where he indicated to the people there and to the Australian nation that the Liberal Party would very cheerfully accept the vote of the member for Dobell. So, enough of this hypocrisy.