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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. Members on my right will not interject while the Leader of the Opposition is asking a question. I call the Leader of the Opposition.

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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that government ministers have been directed to say that cabinet is 'functioning exceptionally well' when asked about cabinet leaks? Can the Prime Minister confirm that the government is functioning so exceptionally well that cabinet ministers immediately leak this document?

Mrs Sudmalis interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gilmore will cease interjecting.

Opposition members interjecting—

Members on my left will cease interjecting. I call the Prime Minister.

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

What I am not going to do is accept lectures on cabinet solidarity from a Leader of the Opposition who backstabbed two prime ministers. He backstabbed two prime ministers because they could not run an effective government.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. I call the member for Rankin on a point of order. The Prime Minister is 20 seconds into his answer. I am going to warn the member for Rankin in advance, and other members: I will not tolerate frivolous points of order.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

The member for Moreton is warned! I call the member for Rankin.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Understood, Speaker. It was a very specific question about a very specific leak out of cabinet.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a very robust question, and if you ask a robust question you can expect a robust answer in the free-flowing debate in this parliament. I call the Prime Minister, who is completely in order.

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

The Leader of the Opposition backstabbed two prime ministers. The former government's Deputy Prime Minister sent a former bodyguard to National Security Committee meetings. Their cabinet was so dysfunctional that it was replaced by a gang of four.

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order, bearing in mind there has been a point of order already on relevance.

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

Given the answer the Prime Minister is giving, it matches the document. Why doesn't he just table it?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order. The member for Watson will resume his seat. The Prime Minister.

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

I can inform the Leader of the Opposition that, on Monday night, cabinet made a very important decision that was endorsed by the party room on Tuesday morning, and that was to take the steps necessary to enable the Carmichael mine to go ahead. We are taking the steps necessary to protect 10,000 jobs, to protect a $20 billion investment and to enable 100 million people in India to get coal and power for the best part of 50 years. That smirking phoney over there, that assassin, the two-time Sussex Street assassin—

Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith on a point of order.

Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has been here a long time and he knows he ought not reflect on members in that way.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is using robust political language that has been used by both sides.

Honourable members interjecting—

Those on my left and right will cease interjecting.

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business is now raising a second point of order.

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

Mr Speaker, the word 'assassin' has to be a reflection on a member. If that word is not a reflection on a member, there is not much left. You can only do it by direct resolution of the parliament.

An honourable member interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I am not taking another point of order on this. My hearing of what the Prime Minister said is that it was said in a political context. It is language that has been used many times before. It is robust. The Prime Minister is in order. And I allowed some robust questioning yesterday. The Prime Minister.

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

Twice this Leader of the Opposition led the Sussex Street death squads to assassinate politically two prime ministers, and then he was caught out telling lies about it on the Neil Mitchell program. That is this person who now seeks the trust of the Australian people at the next election. Let me tell the Leader of the Opposition: what we decided at cabinet on Monday night was to do what we could to preserve 10,000 jobs in Queensland—to do what we could to ensure that we got a $20 billion—

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left will cease interjecting.

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

investment, because we support jobs and growth. We support the workers of this country. Where does this man stand? I tell you: when it comes to dudding workers, that man has form. He wants to dud the workers of Adani, he wants to dud the workers who will be employed under the free trade agreement, but, worst of all, when he was charged with protecting low-paid workers, he ripped them off to help himself. Shame on him. (Time expired)