Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, on indulgence, I would like to make a statement to the House.

I inform the House that last evening the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party elected me as the federal Labor leader and the member for Grayndler as the deputy leader. As a consequence, this morning I called on Her Excellency, the Governor-General. The Governor-General has commissioned me as the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia. She has also commissioned the member for Grayndler as Deputy Prime Minister and the member for McMahon as Treasurer.

On indulgence, I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the former Prime Minister and the former Treasurer. Through the difficult years of minority government, the former Prime Minister has achieved major reforms for our nation that will shape our country's future. I acknowledge her great achievements in taking the Fair Work Act through the parliament. I acknowledge her great achievements in bringing in a national scheme for the testing of literacy and numeracy across the Australian school system, something we once believed was impossible given the institutionalised hostility of the states. Now the parents of Australia know the results of their schools and know the results of their kids, and as a result we can intervene as appropriate to support our children. I also acknowledge her great achievements in delivering better funding for Australian schools. And, on top of all that, I acknowledge her great work as a standard-bearer for women in our country: Australia's first woman as Deputy Prime Minister and Australia's first woman as Prime Minister.

I would also like to acknowledge the work that the former Treasurer did with me to prevent this country from rolling into global economic recession and avoiding mass unemployment. No-one should forget this work. When we think of people around the world and the hundreds of thousands who lost their jobs in other countries—millions in some—that was avoided here, and I acknowledge the strong work done by the former Treasurer in assisting me and the other members of the cabinet in dealing with that crisis.

I also wish to place on record the enormous contribution that other ministerial colleagues have made, and I will have more to say about them at a later time. The remaining ministerial arrangements stay in place for the present time. I will make further announcements regarding those arrangements at a later time.

As a courtesy, I would also inform the House that Senator Penny Wong has been elected as Leader of the Government in the Senate, and Senator Jacinta Collins as deputy leader in the Senate. Today the Deputy Prime Minister will answer questions in the portfolios of climate change, industry, trade, tertiary education, skills and school education.

As we all know in this place, political life is a very hard life—a very hard life indeed. Occasionally, it can be kind; more often it is not. It has been that way from time immemorial. I doubt very much whether in the future it will change. But let us all remember, particularly on days like this, that in this parliament and in this place we are all human beings. We all have families and we all have emotions. So let us try—just try—to be a little kinder and gentler with each other in the further deliberations of this parliament. I thank the House.

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

If I may, Madam Speaker, on indulgence, respond to the statement of the Prime Minister. First all, I congratulate the Prime Minister on returning to the high office which he formally occupied and which he has been dreaming of returning to for three long years and three long days. I also commiserate with the former Prime Minister on what happened to her last night. As the Prime Minister has just indicated, politics is a tough business, but sometimes it is far more brutal than it needs to be. Sometimes it is far less fair than it should be. The former Prime Minister should have been dealt with by the Australian people at an election and not by the faceless men in the caucus last night. If the former Prime Minister's achievements are as substantial as her replacement has just indicated he believes, why was she dragged down last night? That is the explanation that the Prime Minister owes us. He owes it to the Australian people—

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

I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he is speaking on the indulgence of the chair, and it is being tried.

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

Madam Speaker, this is a fraught moment in the life of our nation. A Prime Minister has been dragged down. Her replacement owes the Australian people and the Australian parliament an explanation. Frankly, he owes the Australian parliament an explanation at this time.

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

The Leader of the Opposition has other forms of the House if he wishes to pursue this—not on indulgence. The Leader of the Opposition he has the call.

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

Very briefly, on further indulgence, again I congratulate the Prime Minister on his restoration to high office. May he elevate that office, and he would best elevate that office by explaining the events of last night and by telling the Australian people when will they get the chance to decide who the Prime Minister of this country should be and who should form the government of this country. That is the question that should be before this House.