Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In question time on Monday the Prime Minister said, 'We are applying an efficiency dividend to the ABC.' But yesterday, when discussing the Prime Minister's cuts to the ABC, the Minister for Communications said, 'This is not an efficiency dividend.' Prime Minister, is the Minister for Communications right?

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

I said it was effectively an efficiency dividend because the amount was equivalent.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Madam Speaker, the opposition leader is blithering on the other side of the dispatch box.

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

The Leader of the Opposition has asked his questions previously. One of his colleagues has asked a question and he will listen to the answer. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

We are applying for some savings from the ABC—that is what we are doing. We are asking for savings from the ABC. The ABC should not be treated any differently from all the other government entities which are being asked to provide an efficiency dividend.

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

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

The member for Adelaide!

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

The savings that we are seeking from the ABC are effectively an efficiency dividend—in fact, they are better than an efficiency dividend.

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

The member for Grayndler is seeking a point of order, not the member for Isaacs. He does not need to speak for him.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I am concerned that the Prime Minister is misleading parliament. My point of order is that the Prime Minister is misleading parliament.

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

There is no point of order. You will resume your seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said, 'We are applying an efficiency dividend—

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

The member will resume his seat. That is abuse of the standing orders, and he knows it better than most. Once more and he will leave the chamber under 94(a). The Prime Minister has the call.

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

It is better than an efficiency dividend, because not only are we are requiring savings of the ABC; we have actually demonstrated through the Lewis report just where savings can be achieved. That is what we are doing—we are doing better than an efficiency dividend—

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

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

The member for Adelaide will desist or leave—the choice is hers.

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

Madam Speaker, I tell you what: this is yet another example of this government being absolutely up-front.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Release it!

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

The member for Adelaide will leave under 94(a).

The member for Adelaide then left the chamber.

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

We say that there need to be savings from the ABC and we are prepared to quantify what those savings should be. The Leader of the Opposition says, yes, there should be cuts, but he will not tell us what they are. He will not tell us how deep they will be. He said yesterday in parliament, under his breath, that he would tell us after the election—that is when the public would find out. So not only is he duplicitous—

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

Another bald-faced lie!

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

in not being up-front with the Australian people, but he is being arrogant in assuming that he is going to win the next election.

Really and truly, what we have got from the Leader of the Opposition is more untrustworthiness, more sneakiness. We know that Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard could not trust the Leader of the Opposition. They are not the only leaders of the Labor Party who could not trust him: 'When I first became Leader, Bill Ludwig and Little Billy Shorten pledged AWU support for me, but you can't trust them as far as you can kick them.' Every Labor leader who knew this Leader of the Opposition knew he could not be trusted. If Labor leaders cannot trust the Leader of the Opposition, neither can the Australian public.

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

The member for Sydney will withdraw the unparliamentary remark she made during the course of that answer.

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, yesterday that exact phrase, 'bald-faced lie', was ruled in order when it was said by a member of the government.

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

The way I heard it was not as you put it, but it had an 'A-R' on the end. I will leave it for the moment. I call the honourable member for Hume.