Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister advise the House whether any health projects were deemed suitable for funding under the Regional Development Australia Fund grants, and what are the ramifications of poor decision making in managing taxpayers' money?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. This is a portfolio which manages about $70 billion a year and the person who would seek the office of health minister if Labor were to win the next election, the member for Ballarat, has just been found by the Australian National Audit Office, as was mentioned by the Treasurer, to have presided over the Regional Development Australia Fund in a way that was not acceptable to the ANAO. I think this is a very, very serious issue that all Australians should contemplate. Australians were angry with the Rudd-Gillard-Ruddgovernments, angry with the waste of money that had taken place over the course of six years, and the Australian public have not forgotten the fact that Labor ran up $676 billion of debt. Australia has not forgotten that these people who sit on the front bench of the Labor Party today were many of the same players in theRudd-Gillard-Rudd years. These people were trained by Kevin Rudd or Julia Gillard. They were incompetent when they were ministers and they are being exposed as incompetent now as shadow ministers. What we need to examine is whether or not these people contesting the next election are competent enough to sit on this side and manage portfolios worth $70 billion of taxpayers' money. That is the important question that the Australian public need to ask.

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

Madam Speaker, on a point of order on relevance: none of this has the slightest bit to do with the question that was asked.

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

The member will resume his seat. The minister has the call.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will let the Australian public judge the member for Ballarat and whether or not she is ready to take over as health minister, but let me ask them to rely on the advice of the ANAO that says–

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

Madam Speaker, on a further point of order, this is grossly disorderly. It is wilful disregard—

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

The member will resume his seat. This is not a point for argument and that is all he is doing. The member will resume his seat and he knows perfectly well that standing orders do not provide the opportunity to get up and argue a case. He may have been able to do that in his previous life but not here.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would ask the Australian public to examine this Australian National Audit Office report because it is damning—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

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

The member for Sydney has been warned and will either be quiet or leave. The choice is hers.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The report is damning of the Labor Party and it is part of the reason—

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

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

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

The member for Isaacs then left the chamber.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is part of the reason that Labor was deemed to have wasted billions of dollars of taxpayers' money, and they have not learnt their lesson. We know from the ANAO report that 80 per cent of her ministerial decisions to not award funding to applications recommended by the advisory panel related to projects in coalition seats. There were two projects recommended in relation to health—$365,000 for a project in Gippsland and $200,000 for a project for—

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is the health minister.

An opposition member interjecting—

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

Whoever made that comment will withdraw.

An honourable member: I withdraw.

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

Madam Speaker, further on the point of order, I am perplexed at what possible relevance to the health minister—

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

The member will resume his seat. The Minister for Health has the call.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

These two health projects were recommended and they were overturned. Why? Because they are in coalition seats. This shadow minister when she was a minister for the Labor Party when they were last in government decided to take money away from regional Australia and put it into Labor seats in capital cities. She should be condemned.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The member for Ballarat will desist. The member for Chifley will desist. The member for Newcastle will desist.

Opposition members interjecting—

The member for Newcastle will desist or leave—the choice is hers. Likewise the member for Hotham.