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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that the inspector-general's inquiry into how a convicted jihadist terrorist was held behind a pool fence for almost a year while ministers were allegedly kept in the dark will be completed and will be made public before the election?

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

Once again, the Leader of the Opposition is showing a lack of understanding of national security, our security agencies and structures like the inspector-general. It is impossible for me to give a direction to the inspector-general. In answer to the shadow minister's question a little bit earlier, I explained to the Leader of the Opposition, who now is yelling abuse presumably directed at the inspector-general, that under the relevant law—that is, the law of the country, Australian law, laws that have gone through this parliament—the inspector-general is an independent statutory officeholder. The inspector-general is not subject to general direction from me or other ministers about how she carries out her powers under the act.

What the opposition leader is asking me to do does not fit with the way in which we have set up the inspector-general. I understand that it fits in with the general Liberal Party philosophy that what you do is wander around thugging people. But we do not do that. We respect independence.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will withdraw that reference.

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

I withdraw. What we will not do is behave inappropriately, as invited to do by the Leader of the Opposition. Can I suggest to the Leader of the Opposition, after the serial errors that he and his team have made this week about basic matters—the Leader of the Opposition not briefed during this parliament by the director-general of ASIO, the Leader of the Opposition misrepresenting the resources of ASIO, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition misrepresenting matters pivotal to our relationship with Indonesia, the shadow minister for immigration misrepresenting the powers of the joint parliamentary committee, the shadow minister for border protection unable to walk to the dispatch box and even move a simple motion, the shadow Attorney-General out breaching confidentiality requirements of ASIO briefings—after all of those errors this week—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order on relevance, Speaker. The relevance is that the Prime Minister did not know there was a convicted jihadist terrorist in the country.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is an abuse of the standing orders. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

After that series of errors I would counsel the Leader of the Opposition to not add to that series of errors today by coming into this parliament and misrepresenting the way in which the inspector-general works. What this has shown across the course of this week is that the Leader of the Opposition can be trusted with a slogan but he cannot be trusted with national security, because you have to get to grips with the details and the Leader of the Opposition has not shown the ability to do that at any point during this parliamentary week.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mackellar is warned.