Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) that the Prime Minister committed to lead a Government which is transparent and open and the Coalition's Real Solutions platform stated that the Coalition would "restore accountability and improve transparency measures";

(b) the Leader of the House on 30 January 2013 committed himself to a parliamentary practice in Government to "allow any Member of any political party who has serious questions to answer, time to explain themselves through the Parliament to the Australian people"; and

(c) the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration have adopted a new culture of secrecy and are hiding information from the Australian people. The Minister has repeatedly refused to answer questions at weekly Operation Sovereign Borders briefings. That failure to answer questions has led the Australian people to rely on the Jakarta Post for information about their own Government. Questions remain relating to attempted so-called turn backs of boats, buy back of boats and to the state of negotiations between Australia and Indonesia about a people swap arrangement with Indonesia; and

(2) calls on the Minister for Immigration to attend the House immediately and explain for a period not exceeding thirty minutes:

(a) the status of all discussions with Indonesia about the progress of Operation Sovereign Borders, including those discussions relating to a people swap arrangement with Indonesia;

(b) how the Government intends to pursue its election commitment to turn back boats to Indonesia and buy back boats in fishing villages; and

(c) whether any of the measures which have been effective in reducing the flow of asylum seeker vessels to Australia are now in jeopardy as a result of the Minister's chaotic handling of his portfolio including the Regional Resettlement Arrangements with Papua New Guinea and Nauru and the abolition of visa on arrival arrangements in Indonesia for Iranians

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Watson from moving the following motion forthwith: That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) that the Prime Minister committed to lead a Government which is transparent and open and the Coalition's Real Solutions platform stated that the Coalition would "restore accountability and improve transparency measures";

(b) the Leader of the House on 30 January 2013 committed himself to a parliamentary practice in Government to "allow any Member of any political party who has serious questions to answer, time to explain themselves through the Parliament to the Australian people"; and

(c) the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration have adopted a new culture of secrecy and are hiding information from the Australian people. The Minister has repeatedly refused to answer questions at weekly Operation Sovereign Borders briefings. That failure to answer questions has led the Australian people to rely on the Jakarta Post for information about their own Government. Questions remain relating to attempted so-called turn backs of boats, buy back of boats and to the state of negotiations between Australia and Indonesia about a people swap arrangement with Indonesia; and

(2) calls on the Minister for Immigration to attend the House immediately and explain for a period not exceeding thirty minutes:

(a) the status of all discussions with Indonesia about the progress of Operation Sovereign Borders, including those discussions relating to a people swap arrangement with Indonesia;

(b) how the Government intends to pursue its election commitment to turn back boats to Indonesia and buy back boats in fishing villages; and

(c) whether any of the measures which have been effective in reducing the flow of asylum seeker vessels to Australia are now in jeopardy as a result of the Minister's chaotic handling of his portfolio including the Regional Resettlement Arrangements with Papua New Guinea and Nauru and the abolition of visa on arrival arrangements in Indonesia for Iranians

The minister who was the star of the Liberal Party in opposition has become the embarrassment of the government. We are about to see where secrecy and transparency lead us when they come to power.

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

I move:

That the member be no longer heard.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the member be no longer heard.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give the call to the member for Isaacs.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Rambo in opposition—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You do not have the call, I am sorry. The member will desist. He has not had the call. I called the member for Isaacs.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Madam Speaker: under standing order 67, I ask that you restate the question to the House.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to restate the question to the House. It was the one as moved by the Manager of Opposition Business. The member for Isaacs had the call.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Madam Speaker: the motion before the House has been moved and seconded. Under standing order 67 we are entitled to invite and to ask the Speaker to restate the entire resolution to the House. Under standing order 67, we request that you do so.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business has asked that the motion be reread. It says:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Watson from moving the following motion forthwith: That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) that the Prime Minister committed to lead a Government which is transparent and open and the Coalition's Real Solutions platform stated that the Coalition would "restore accountability and improve transparency measures";

(b) the Leader of the House on 30 January 2013 committed himself to a parliamentary practice in Government to "allow any Member of any political party who has serious questions to answer, time to explain themselves through the Parliament to the Australian people"; and

(c) the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration have adopted a new culture of secrecy and are hiding information from the Australian people. The Minister has repeatedly refused to answer questions at weekly Operation Sovereign Borders briefings. That failure to answer questions has led the Australian people to rely on the Jakarta Post for information about their own Government. Questions remain relating to attempted so-called turn backs of boats, buy back of boats and to the state of negotiations between Australia and Indonesia about a people swap arrangement with Indonesia; and

(2) calls on the Minister for Immigration to attend the House immediately and explain for a period not exceeding thirty minutes:

(a) the status of all discussions with Indonesia about the progress of Operation Sovereign Borders, including those discussions relating to a people swap arrangement with Indonesia;

(b) how the Government intends to pursue its election commitment to turn back boats to Indonesia and buy back boats in fishing villages; and

(c) whether any of the measures which have been effective in reducing the flow of asylum seeker vessels to Australia are now in jeopardy as a result of the Minister's chaotic handling of his portfolio including the Regional Resettlement Arrangements with Papua New Guinea and Nauru and the abolition of visa on arrival arrangements in Indonesia for Iranians.

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

The reason standing orders should not be suspended on this occasion is that the coalition won the election two months ago and today we want to introduce the carbon tax repeal bills. On the draft daily program, the carbon tax repeal bills are listed for debate. Labor has demonstrated for the last 20 minutes that they will do anything to stand in the way of lowering electricity prices in this country. 'Electricity Bill' Shorten, as his first political act in the parliament, has desired to get his Manager of Opposition Business to block the repeal of the carbon tax.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. A large number of comments were made yesterday about people being referred to by correct titles. To have the Leader of the House immediately abrogating that is inappropriate and his comment should be withdrawn.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House was not addressing a member by any title; he was merely using a description and I do not find the term unparliamentarily.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Madam Speaker, I am not sure whether you heard the description that was given—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was not a description.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but what we had was something that even the Prime Minister yesterday acknowledged could not be used within the chamber.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have already ruled on the point of order and you are raising the matter a second time.

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

The reason standing orders should not be suspended is that the Australian public expects this government to get on with its program. That is why the Australian public elected 90 members of the coalition on 7 September—to repeal the carbon tax. The draft daily program lists the carbon tax repeal bills as the first item of business, not parliamentary stunts.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order. We have no intention of trying to gag the member's speech but we cannot have this situation. The gravity of this new ruling of allowing—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask the Manager of Opposition Business to state the point of order which he is addressing, numbered as it is in the standing orders. If he is repeating a point of order he has already raised, I have already ruled on that point of order and I will not entertain it again.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The gravity of that ruling—to allow name-calling of any sort in this parliament—takes us to a new low.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. I call the Leader of the House.

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

It is very clear that the Manager of Opposition Business does not know his standing orders. While slightly irrelevant to the debate, the Leader of the Opposition should have stuck with the member for Grayndler, who is now trying to help him in this rather embarrassing display of ineptitude on the part of the Opposition. He now has the answer; he now has the standing order number.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I say to the honourable Manager of Opposition Business that if he is intending to re-raise the same point I will consider that frivolous or aimed simply at disrupting the proceedings of the House, and I will not acknowledge him again in the course of this particular area of debate.

Debate interrupted.