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 the Prime Minister to her statement in August as to whether she received any benefit from Town Mode in 1994:

… an allegation was made that I had received clothing from a business known as Town Mode. That allegation is untrue.

Did the Prime Minister receive any other benefit from Town Mode or any related entity?

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

Dear me, we are down at the bottom of the barrel now, aren't we? We are down at the bottom of the barrel. These allegations are untrue. They have always been untrue. They have been known to be untrue for decades. Here is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, in line with the Leader of the Opposition's strategy, down at the bottom of the mud basket now, desperately picking through, desperately scraping at the bottom of the mud. And why is she doing that? Because we have seen the opposition, through the deputy leader, across days in parliament come in and mislead this parliament. I made clear yesterday the misleading of this parliament by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition—

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. If the Prime Minister expects to say that the deputy leader has misled the parliament, she must do so by substantive motion. She did it yesterday on numerous occasions and I would ask you to ask her to desist from doing so.

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

The Prime Minister has the call.

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

I made clear to the parliament yesterday the way in which the deputy leader misled the parliament. It is a matter for her as to whether or not she apologises to this House and to the Australian people for misleading them. Since then, of course, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has gone out to do a number of interviews where the misleading has just got worse and worse and the allegations more and more wild. But the Deputy Leader of the Opposition confessed during those interviews to being in the company of Ralph Blewitt last Friday. She has had her own Godwin Grech moment—

Honourable members interjecting—

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've handcuffed yourself!

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

Order! The Prime Minister will resume her seat. The minister for trade may find he is handcuffed himself very soon as well.

Opposition members interjecting—

The member for Indi! I was going to laugh. I was going to say something that was highly inappropriate at this point in time, so I have stopped myself. Anyway, it was unwarranted. The Prime Minister has the call and will return to the question before us.

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

I have dealt with the question—thank you, Speaker. I am now dealing with the lack of standards of the opposition and the company they keep.

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

I ask a supplementary question. I refer the Prime Minister to her answer and to the affidavit of Ian Cambridge that states $17,000 from an account called AWU Members Welfare Association was paid to Town Mode, which is the trading name for Kew Renovators Pty Ltd, by Bruce Wilson. Can the Prime Minister rule out that these payments were for her home renovations?

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

Absolutely, yes. This is complete smear, completely untrue and misleading of this parliament. These are the sorts of standards the opposition has under this leader.

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

I am seeking to table the business name extract of Town Mode, which shows that the holder of that business name is Kew Renovators Pty Ltd.

Leave not granted.

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

I table the article by Godwin Grech, 'Abbott PM and G-G Howard will restore the golden days', from the Sydney Morning Herald.