Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of her statement:

I am going to be held to higher standards of accountability than any Prime Minister in the modern age.

I ask: how can the Australian people trust the Prime Minister on anything when she has failed time after time to stand in this House at that dispatch box and respond to the motions moved by the Leader of the Opposition and the Manager of Opposition Business that go directly to her accountability? (Time expired)

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

To the member's question: really, one wonders about the levels of delusion on display over there. Let us just go through some of the facts. The opposition has moved 57 censures or suspensions. That means they have lost the opportunity to ask 359 questions. That means they have lost, in total, 31 hours and two minutes of question time. That means they have lost, in total, the equivalent of 14 question times.

What the opposition shows in this parliament every day is that it does not want to debate the real issues facing the Australian people; it wants to engage in negativity and spin. So it comes in with these kinds of questions which we have heard today—nothing serious ever about the economy, nothing serious about the budget, nothing on the future of health, nothing on the future of education, nothing on building the future economy, nothing on our relationships with our region, nothing on the defence or national security of the nation—nothing of meaning. The opposition comes in with its cheap politics and then it follows up its pathetic attempts in question time with the Leader of the Opposition or, increasingly, the Manager of Opposition Business, just carrying on with their cheap politics for 25 minutes.

If the member over there thinks that is accountability, or the appropriate way for a member of parliament to conduct themselves, then he is seriously out of touch. Can I suggest he gets himself in touch by standing at a school gate in front of a school in his electorate, looking every working mum and every working dad in the eye and saying, 'I don't believe you should get the schoolkids bonus.'

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance—

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

The member for Menzies will resume his seat. The question gave a great deal of latitude, and I am not sure I could find relevance to draw to an answer. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

I was asked a very broadly phrased question, so I am saying on accountability: why doesn't the member for Menzies—or indeed, the Leader of the Opposition—stand at a school gate and tell every working mum and dad he does not want them to have the schoolkids bonus? Why doesn't he go to a car factory and say, 'I do not support money to support your jobs'? Why doesn't he go to a steel mill and in front of those steelworkers say, 'I did not support money to support your jobs'? Why doesn't he walk to a hospital and say, 'I took $1 billion out of you last time and now I've got $70 billion worth of cuts to make'? Why doesn't he go and talk to school teachers about the planned cuts that he has for education?

When it comes to accountability I am certainly there for real accountability. It is the opposition that does not want to be held accountable for its reckless negativity.