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

My question to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister that three years ago today she promised to lead a strong and responsible government. Given that she has presided over an Australia Day riot initiated by her office, the replacement of the members for Scullion and then Fisher as Speaker, the scandal associated with the member for Dobell—

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

Order! 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

I rise on a point of order, Speaker. It is just a bit of argument there. The question is out of order.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! I was going to request the Manager of Opposition Business to rephrase the question without the argument.

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

Certainly, Madam Speaker. I remind the Prime Minister that three years ago today she promised to lead a strong and responsible government. Given that under her prime ministership an Australia Day riot occurred, initiated by her office, the replacement of the members for Scullion and Fisher as Speaker—

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The member for Boothby!

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

You tried to help him, Speaker, but he could not be helped. We need to move on.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business advised the media today that we were going to see more adult behaviour from the opposition at question time. I am waiting to see some more adult behaviour from the Manager of Opposition Business. He can come to the end of his question without argument.

Mr Hockey interjecting—

Order! The member for North Sydney does not have the call; the Manager of Opposition Business does.

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

Given the litany of issues that I have now raised in this question on two occasions, I ask the Prime Minister: how has she kept her promise to lead a strong and responsible government?

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

The first part of the question was out of order. The last part is in order. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Nothing could better illustrate the difference between the government's approach and the opposition's approach. There they are mired in filth without any policies for the nation's future, the very few things that they stand for being things that would hurt our nation. Their promise in clean energy is to trash the legacy of the Howard government and to knock our economy into a standstill as they desperately tried to scrabble around to end carbon pricing. There are the cuts to the bone that they stand for: hurting families, ripping benefits away, basic benefits like the School Kids Bonus, a promise to make sure that our economy is no longer in a position to offer jobs and growth. There is the Leader of the Opposition with his plan for increased tax: putting up taxes on companies, which would flow through to the things that Australians buy, and may well cost jobs in those companies. These are the only plans that they stand for before the Australian people—economic vandalism, cuts to the bone, hitting jobs and growth, more taxation on companies—and because they know that they are ill-equipped to debate any of the real issues for our nation's future, they come in here with rubbish like this.

It says everything about the Leader of the Opposition that he would authorise a question like this. It says everything about the Leader of the Opposition that he knows he cannot sustain a debate on the economy. He cannot sustain a debate on carbon pricing. He cannot sustain a debate on the future of school funding. He cannot sustain a debate on the National Broadband Network. He cannot sustain a debate on the economic opportunities of the age in which we live. He cannot sustain a debate on foreign policy and engagement in our region. He cannot even sustain a debate on border security; having thumped his chest so many times about stopping the boats, he knows he has actually got no way to stop the boats. Because he has no policies, because he has no plans and because he is mired in negativity, what he authorises is filth.