Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Two weeks ago a taped conversation between a journalist and management at the ABC surfaced. It revealed that an ABC article critical of the Prime Minister's second-rate NBN was blocked by management, because they did not want to upset 'the Turnbull camp'. Can the Prime Minister advise the House if he or any members of his current or former office have had any contact with ABC management in relation to stories critical of his second-rate NBN?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is a question wholly within the confines of the ABC. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Prime Minister's responsibilities and therefore he cannot possibly answer—

Opposition members interjecting —

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

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The member for Watson will resume his seat. Everyone else can resume their seats too, including the member for Ryan. I will ask the Leader of the House to repeat his point of order. I could not hear it through the interjections. If there are interjections people will be leaving under 94(a). The Leader of the House.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is about internal management practices within the ABC that have been alleged by a former journalist at the ABC. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the responsibilities of the Prime Minister, and I think therefore it should be ruled out of order.

Government members interjecting—

Mr Danby interjecting—

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

Members on my right will resume their seats. The member for Melbourne Ports will leave under 94(a). The Manager of Opposition Business on the point of order.

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

On the point of order, Mr Speaker: the last part of the question goes specifically to the actions of the Prime Minister or his office—it goes quite specifically to that. That is what is being asked. If the question was only internal to another organisation it might be another thing. This is about the actions of the Prime Minister or his office in dealing with the management.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Alannah Mactiernan (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you politically interfering with the management of the ABC?

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

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

The member for Perth then left the chamber.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, further on the point of order, there has been absolutely no suggestion whatsoever that any actions have been taken by the Prime Minister either as Prime Minister or as Minister for Communications. Question time is not an expedition in fishing—it is not a fishing exercise. If the opposition has any evidence to put to the House, that is a different matter—but they cannot simply raise matters on the never-never and expect an answer. It is not within the standing orders.

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

Again on the point of order, Mr Speaker: we are allowed quite specifically under standing orders to ask about public affairs. We are able under the standing orders quite specifically to ask about the actions of a minister or his office. This is squarely within the standing orders, and the actions of the Leader of the House in trying to suppress the question demonstrate exactly why it is in the public interest that it be asked.

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

I have listened to the Leader of the House and the member for Watson. The last part of the question I do not think is quite in order. I am going to allow the member for Blaxland to rephrase it.

Opposition members interjecting—

Sure. My recollection of the question was that it did not ask whether there had been any action; it stated it.

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

The member for Lingiari is warned. I will ask the member for Blaxland to read the final part of the question.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to, Mr Speaker. Can the Prime Minister advise the House if he or any member of his current or former office has had any contact with ABC management in relation to stories critical of his second-rate NBN?

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

I am going to allow the question.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can assure the honourable member for Blaxland that I have on several occasions complained very publicly and openly about the ABC's coverage of the NBN issue, in particular and most notably in the lead-up to the last election where I felt the ABC's coverage of the issue was very poor and lacked balance. I said so publicly, and I have said nothing privately that I have not said publicly. My point very simply was this: as we know, in the lead-up to the last election there was a debate—a discussion, if you like—about competing technologies and the proposition that the Labor government presented was that the only acceptable solution was to have a universal fibre to the premises network, which was their plan.

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

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

The member for Kingston.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We countered and said we can get the project built, the network built, faster and at less cost—

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By 2016? How is that going to happen? The ABC was right.

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

The member for Kingston has been warned. This is her final warning.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We would do that by using a mix of technologies, including using fibre to the node, as has been used in a number of other countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and others. The debate really focused in large part on these competing technologies. In my view—I was very public about this—the ABC failed in its coverage of the issue because it failed to use its rather extensive international resources to at least go and interview people at British Telecom or Deutsche Telekom or Swisscom and test whether the arguments I was putting as the shadow minister for communications were correct. They declined to do that and as a consequence I feel in that regard the national broadcaster, which I hold in high regard, as I am sure honourable members do, should have done a better job in putting more information about the competing alternatives before the public. As honourable members will recall, we went to some lengths to do that, to raise the level of information and debate on this important choice of technology.

The member's question asks whether I complained about this to the ABC. The answer is that yes I did complain, but I complained publicly. I was very public about it and made this point—

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And privately?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In any of my discussions with the chief executive I have said exactly the same things privately as I have said publicly—

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You bullied them. You're a bully.

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

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

The member for Gorton then left the chamber.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my view it is important that the national broadcaster, wherever it can, seeks to inform the public debate so to ensure that, right or wrong, the contending arguments are well exposed in light of the facts. (Time expired)