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

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The minister did at least three major media interviews on 15 September this year, the morning after her party brought down their Prime Minister. I refer to a suggestion this afternoon from journalist Peter van Onselen that the minister removed these transcripts from her ministerial website after media questions about her office's involvement in the knifing of the former Prime Minister. What has the minister got to hide?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The shadow Attorney-General is completely misinformed.

A government member: It's out of order!

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Members on my right! The Minister for Foreign Affairs will resume her seat. Members on my right will not interject with guidance. I am listening to the questions closely. The question is in order.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, the shadow Attorney-General is completely misinformed. I gave a number of interviews on the morning after the change of leadership of the Liberal Party. On those occasions, the questions were all about Liberal Party internal politics and the change of leader. I was advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that it was inappropriate to put such transcripts—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left will cease—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on the website as the minister for foreign affairs and trade. That was a ruling within the department.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The Minister for Foreign Affairs will resume her seat. The member for Watson will resume his seat. I have a matter I am going to deal with. The level of interjections is far too high, and I do not need interjections on my right when I making a ruling, whether that was the member for Dobell or the member for Solomon.

Mr Conroy interjecting—

The minister will resume her seat. On cue the member for Chifley interjects again—no, the member for Charlton, I should say, interjects again. The level of interjections is too high. It is disorderly, and it does this House no justice at all. There are many people interjecting far too often. The member for Charlton can leave under 94(a). The member for Watson had a point of order? No.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And, Mr Speaker—

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

The member for Charlton will leave immediately under 94(a).

The member for Charlton then left the chamber.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is consistent with the practice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to remove from my transcripts as foreign minister—as they have done with previous foreign ministers—any portion of transcripts that relates to internal party politics and not to my role as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In light of the allegation that I was seeking to hide something, I contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and asked that these transcripts be put on the ministerial website. They have agreed with me to do that. We will review the past practice whereby the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade removes parts of transcripts that relate only to party political matters.