Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again addressed to the Prime Minister. Given that yesterday the Treasurer falsely claimed that drought was the No. 1 call on the budget, will the Prime Minister agree to have a debate on Australia's economy, and, in particular, the plight of farmers today, based upon the facts?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition seems quite insistent on this point but he obviously wasn't insistent this morning, because the matter of public importance which has been tabled today by the federal member for Barton does not mention the word 'economy' at all; the word 'economy' is not even in it. So, if he can't get his own side to agree about something, which is not uncommon at the moment; it's not uncommon at all—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that the Labor Party's penchant is for panic and crisis, but, honestly, he has to try to resolve the panic and crisis that is going on within his own party on so many issues—for example, their response to climate, which they say is an emergency but we're not going to know their policy about it until the next election. In the meantime we're going to have the constant in-fighting between the member for Hunter and the member for Hindmarsh or the member for Sydney or any other members, or whether the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party is going to tear itself apart—riven not only by corruption but also, it seems today, by sexism as well. The leader of the Labor Party has plenty on his plate, so I will leave him to deal with that all on his own measure.