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. I refer to her claim on 23 August that she had no involvement with the AWU workplace reform fund after she helped set it up in early 1992. I refer the Prime Minister to the power of attorney, which I have a copy of, that carries the Prime Minister's signature as a witness on 4 February 1993 from Mr Ralph Blewitt to Mr Bruce Wilson. Mr Blewitt has stated publicly that he did not sign the power of attorney on that date and nor did he sign it in your presence. Did the Prime Minister witness this document in the presence of Mr Blewitt and on the date nominated?

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

We could not get a sharper contrast between a government focused on the future and an opposition focused on sleaze and smear from 17 years in the past.

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

The Prime Minister will return to the question before the chair.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Prime Minister is accusing the opposition of smear but the stories that are being written about this are being written by Hedley Thomas, Mark Baker and Samantha Maiden. Is she accusing them of smear?

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

The Manager of Opposition business will resume his seat.

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

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: what was the point of that point of order from the Manager of Opposition Business?

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

The Leader of the House will—

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

My point is that a point of order has to be about the standing orders being breached. The Prime Minister was perfectly within the standing orders in calling you out on your sleaze campaign.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is about accountability!

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

The member for Cowan will leave the chamber under 94(a). The Prime Minister has the call and will refer to the question.

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

I stand by my comments on the public record in relation to this matter. Let me make it clear: my accusation of the opposition is hypocrisy. I table a record of the press conference held by the Leader of the Opposition at the start of this week, 29 October, in which he said—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I refer you to page 565 of the Practice, where it says that it is established practice of the House that where a minister refuses to answer a question it is usually on the basis that it deals with national security or other matters. Clearly that does not come into the failure to answer these questions. The Prime Minister should either take it on notice and supply the answer or answer the questions that have been deliberately put by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. These are questions that have in fact never been addressed by the Prime Minister, including in her press conference.

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

Madam Speaker, on a point of order again: that contained argument. There is a process in which that is quite clearly out of order. If someone wants to object on the basis of relevance, they simply have to state that, rather than put an argument before the House.

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

Leader of the House, I was going to point out to the member for Mackellar that until the end of the point of order she was making a relevant point of order. The last part, however, was not relevant. It was introducing argument, and points of order should be on issues of procedure. The Prime Minister has the call and will be relevant to the question.

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

When I was interrupted, I was tabling a document containing a statement of the Leader of the Opposition from 29 October where he says:

I will leave the nasty personal politics to the Labor Party. I predict that we will see a lot more of that in the months leading up to the next election, but I am going to focus every day on what matters to the Australian people and that is sensible, careful, responsible change that will give them a stronger economy and a more cohesive society.

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

The Prime Minister will table the document and resume her seat.

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

(—) (): Madam Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. I refer the Prime Minister to the internal Slater & Gordon memo that confirms the power of attorney was used to secure a mortgage of $150,000, borrowed from Slater & Gordon, in addition to money from the AWU's slush fund to purchase a Fitzroy property. Why won't the Prime Minister come clean on her ongoing involvement in the AWU slush fund, the year after she claimed she had no involvement? (Time expired)

Mrs Mirabella interjecting—

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order, but I would ask that that be withdrawn first.

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

The member for Indi will withdraw.

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

I withdraw.

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

Madam Speaker, the question went to issues which allegedly were ongoing. The Prime Minister responded to all of these questions at least 17 years ago.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The question did contain a great deal of argument. As it was a supplementary, I think that is invalid. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is welcome to restate the question and exclude the argument.

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

I refer the Prime Minister to the internal Slater & Gordon memo that confirms the power of attorney was used to secure a mortgage of $150,000, borrowed from Slater & Gordon, in addition to money from the AWU fund to purchase a Fitzroy property. Why won't the Prime Minister inform the House why she said on 23 August she had no involvement, when this proves that 12 months later she did?

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

I have in fact dealt with these questions on the public record. I stand by those truthful statements, and the construction that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is trying to put on them is not a fair construction. I refer her to my extensive press conference, where I dealt with all of these issues in a great deal of detail. No amount of muckraking by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, in contrast to the promise of the Leader of the Opposition—who is out there telling the Australian people he is going to be responsible, and then we have this—

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The point of the question is very clear and it is very straightforward for the Prime Minister to answer, and that is—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his—

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

No, I have not made my point of—

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

Order! Screeching across the dispatch box by people who are meant to be in charge of the operation of the chamber will not be tolerated.

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

I had intended to conclude my answer before the shadow minister commenced making his vile and ridiculous statements.

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

The Prime Minister will withdraw.

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

I withdraw.

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

I thank the Prime Minister.

Mr Ciobo interjecting—

The member for Moncrieff will withdraw.

Mr Randall interjecting—

In that context, the member for Moncrieff will withdraw and the member for Canning will stop interjecting.

Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

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

I thank the member.