Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on the Australian National Audit Office's report on the administration of the Regional Development Australia Fund? Why is it important to be careful with taxpayers dollars?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat. We will have silence for the answer. The Treasury has the call.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the honourable member knows, every taxpayers dollar is precious. Unfortunately, the Labor Party does not accept that. The Labor Party in government rorted the Regional Development Australia Fund. The ANAO, the Australian National Audit Office, identified how the Labor Party did it, under the leadership of the member for Ballarat. You see, if you fail in the Labor Party you actually get promoted. That is why he is their leader. But the fundamental point is that the member for Ballarat was found to have engaged in the solicitation of a rort on Australian taxpayers money. Why?

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The member for Franklin on a point of order.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is relevance. They funded 50 of these projects—

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

The member will resume her seat. The Treasurer has the call.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The member for Franklin will desist or leave. The choice is hers.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat, as Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories, commissioned a panel headed up by her own Labor Party members to advise her on how to distribute the funds.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The member for Moreton will bring the member for Wakefield into order!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The audit office has found that a quarter of all projects, representing $109 million, had not been recommended for funding by the advisory panel, headed up by the Labor Party. So, hang on, what happened?

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The member for Chifley.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The $91 million spent by the member for Ballarat actually was recommended against by a Labor panel.

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

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

On reflections on members, the Treasurer is now asserting that an independent panel was run by a political party.

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

There is no point of order.

Honourable members interjecting—

There will be silence on my right. The Treasurer has the call. The member for Barker!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let us be clear. This member, as a minister, specifically approved $91 million of allocated taxpayer money to purposes that her own Labor panel refused to support, and in fact specifically recommended against. It goes further—64 per cent—

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The member for Grayndler on a point of order.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You cannot run protection here, mate. It is an audit report.

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

To make an accusation against a member must be done by substantive point. This is not a Labor panel any more than infrastructure—

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

The member will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

The member will resume his seat and the Leader of the House will desist.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

I warn the Leader of the House.

An opposition member: That was Glenn Lazarus!

The member for McMahon is never likely to play on a team that has the likes of Mr Lazarus in it! I call the Treasurer.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They are not getting off on this, Madam Speaker.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The member for Wakefield has pushed his luck too far and will leave for one hour under section 94(a).

The member for Wakefield then left the chamber.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So of the $91 million the then minister, the member for Ballarat, spent, 64 per cent went to ALP held seats. They were using taxpayers money before the election, against the advice of a panel headed up by a Labor person. They were so appalled, as was the audit office. There is now a report that demands that the member for Ballarat come to the despatch box and explain in full—explain immediately to Australian taxpayers—why she was engaged, with the Labor Party, in rorting taxpayers.