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

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer to his answer on Monday that departmental advice to Bill Milby that he reflag his ship, sack his workforce and use a foreign crew did not happen and was 'not possible'. What written advice did he or his office receive from his department prior to making that misleading statement to this House? Will he table that advice in the parliament before close of business today?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question—which I have answered, I think, three times already in question time this week, and the answer is not going to change. The evidence before the inquiry is of course on the public record and the Hansard record is printed. The officer concerned said on 7 September:

I did not say to Mr Milby that he should sack his crew and that he should re-flag his vessel.

He said, and it is on the public record, that he did not make that statement. There were meetings between Mr Milby and officers of the department. They discussed elements of the proposed legislation before the parliament and they discussed the various options and the ways in which a person in the industry might seek to respond. They gave no advice to him as to what action—

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It was a very specific question, and it went to what written advice he or his office received from his department prior to the statement that he made to parliament last Monday. He has not raised one word on that.

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

The Deputy Prime Minister is answering the question and he is relevant. He is less than a minute in. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The officers concerned at a public inquiry, where Hansard was taking the record, referred to the conversations that they had with Mr Milby where they outlined various options available to people to take advantage of the measures in the proposed new legislation.

A range of issues were discussed with Mr Milby. He is the manager of his own company. He makes his own decisions about how he wants to operate into the future. He has been competing with foreign flagged crews vessels on north-western Australian for many years and doing so satisfactorily. He will make his own decisions, as the manager of his company—presumably in the interests of his company and his employers—and respond to whatever legislation the parliament chooses to pass in relation to these issues. It is all on the public record.