Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister now tell the Australian people the details of his secret deal with Senator Pauline Hanson to ensure the passage of his big-business tax cuts?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. I remind the honourable member that he's quite familiar with the need to work with the crossbench. In fact, in 2009 on this very topic—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

He did. No, he did. He's been aware of this for a long time. He has. He is an authority on the importance of cutting tax. He is. He wrote a book about cutting tax. In 2009 he said:

We are focused on getting the budget through, and that will mean that as … in the budget and with most major legislative matters, very intense negotiations with the cross benchers in particular …

He said:

That means we then go into discussions of a very intense nature with the minor parties and there is often brinkmanship to the last minute …

I could go on, but it does seem the honourable member is very familiar. The reality is that we will continue to negotiate respectfully with the crossbenchers in the Senate on all the measures that the Labor Party and the Greens decide to try to block. We respect every member of the Senate, and we give them the courtesy and the confidence of negotiations, but the important thing is that, when those negotiations are concluded and legislation has passed, all is before the Australian public.