Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Talking of someone who talks about airlines, does the Prime Minister agree with the Treasurer's statement that there is a significant community benefit in having a national carrier?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course I agree with the Treasurer! There is never a moment when I do not agree with the Treasurer.

Mr Husic interjecting—

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

The member for Chifley will desist.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I tell you what, does the Leader of the Opposition agree with his shadow minister that the government is the major shareholder in Qantas? Does the Leader of the Opposition agree with his shadow minister that the Commonwealth has a majority share in Qantas? This is not something that the shadow minister said in 1994; he said it today.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance.

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

Has the Prime Minister concluded his answer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to keep going.

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

If the Prime Minister is going to continue he should be directly relevant. He clearly is not. He knows that questions are asked of the executive, not by the executive.

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

It was a pretty broad-ranging question. It simply asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Treasurer.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I was asked about disagreements between party leaders and their frontbenchers, and here is a classic case—a classic case of a senior frontbencher who has not realised that two decades have gone by since the Labor Party sold Qantas lock, stock and barrel into the private sector. He is still living in the good old days of state-owned airlines. We are not.

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

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: is the Prime Minister even going to pretend to abide by the standing orders?

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

We have already had a point of order on relevance.

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

I know, but we have not had a ruling in accordance with the standing orders.

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

There is no point of order. I have already said it was a very broad-ranging question.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unlike members opposite, who are completely clueless when it comes to the facts of the aviation industry in this country, we will make sure as far as we humanly can that we give all the airlines of this country the support they need to keep going, and the best support we can do is to take the carbon tax off them—a $100 million a year hit on the workers of Qantas. The Leader of the Opposition supports it but we oppose it and we will free the workers of Qantas from this $100 million a year tax on their jobs.