Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer the minister to the importance of the diesel fuel tax rebate to primary producers. Liberal Party members are now telling journalists that they never really considered any changes to the diesel fuel tax rebate because, 'Gina and Twiggy would've come after us.' Why is the National Party making millions of Australians pay a petrol tax hike knowing people who drive long distances in country areas will be the worst affected?

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Previous Speakers have upheld rulings and precedents in House of Representatives Practicethat members cannot be asked about internal party matters, whether in the party room, in the cabinet or in this parliament. If standing orders are to mean anything, the opposition must attempt to make the question to be within the responsibilities of the minister concerned. A question about the diesel fuel rebate should go to the Treasurer, not to the Minister for Agriculture. I would ask you to indicate that that is the case.

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

On the point of order, the Manager of Opposition Business.

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, it has for a long time been the practice in this House—and I remember when I was receiving questions from the now Acting Prime Minister when I was Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry—that a minister for agriculture is expected to be able to give answers on a range of issues affecting constituents in farming communities. It has been that case for a long time and the final part of the question went specifically to that point.

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

The preamble to the 'nut' of what you might call the question was, again, very close to offending under standing order 100. So the Minister for Agriculture may answer the question but ignore the first part of it.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am absolutely thrilled to answer the question because do you know what? I have been 260 days in this place and I have never been asked a question—never once! That is their attitude to agriculture. And the first question I am asked about agriculture is from the member for Sydney! And what is the question? You would think they would ask a question about how in May we had record movements of beef—over 108,000 tonnes of beef. You would think they would ask a question about moving 1.3 million head of live sheep and that, since we have signed off the Bahrain agreement, the price of sheep has gone up by $30 a head—an extra $12,000 per semi load or up to about $36,000 per semi load. But of course we did not get a question about that. You would think they would ask a question about the 585,000 head of cattle we have moved in the live cattle trade—something you were responsible for shutting down. But of course, no, we did not get a question about that. You would think we may have got a question about the drought package that we have rolled out with over $700 million of concessions, but of course we did not get a question about that. We got a question about a rumour!

I have heard another rumour. Here's a rumour. I have heard that the member for Sydney wants the Leader of the Opposition's job. There's a rumour. Here's another rumour. I have heard that someone from the New South Wales Right got convicted by the ICAC for corruption. But hang on! That's not a rumour; that's the truth—Eddie Obeid. I heard another rumour that someone from the New South Wales Right also wants your job. Tony Burke wants your job. That is not a rumour either. I heard another rumour that the member for Lilley is still in the chamber. No, it is the truth. He is still here.

We hear lots of rumours around here but we never get any questions about policy—no questions about policy. I welcome it. After 260 days, they have finally decided that there is an agriculture portfolio but they just cannot work out how to ask a question about it.

To go back to the diesel fuel rebate, it is your party that wants to put a tax of 6.85c a litre on diesel. So there is only one party to vote for if you want the tax: you!

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

I understand that the House enjoyed the last question and answer. However, we will now have silence and listen to the member for Robertson.