Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm evidence at Senate estimates last night that his government spent $190,000 on a plan to develop empathy for the Inland Rail project? Why is the Prime Minister spending taxpayer money on funded empathy while drought stricken farm families are being thrown off the farm household allowance?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is important to have empathy for rural communities. We are investing $9.3 billion in the Inland Rail. It is a 1,700 kilometre corridor of commerce between Melbourne and Brisbane. The report that the CSIRO did last year predicated the building of this on a $10 per tonne saving. It is now going to be up to $94 per tonne—indeed, a $76 per tonne average.

But it is going to impact on farmers' properties—and we understand that. Indeed, even in my electorate, in Illabo and Stockinbingal, there are farmers for whom the Inland Rail is going to intersect their properties and intersect their lives. Obviously, we need to get out there and inform those people about their options, as we construct this Inland Rail project, which is already creating thousands of jobs and is going to create thousands of opportunities for those farmers to get their product to port and to make sure that we take advantage of the free trade agreements that this government has been able to broker with South Korea, Japan and China—and we are of course working on one with Indonesia and one with India. We want to get more farmers' product to plate. We want to get more farmers' product to port within 24 hours, and that is what the Inland Rail will do. But we have been asked about money that is being spent on advertising campaigns.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

I am being—

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Well, I'll just keep going.

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

Member for Ballarat—

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will when the Speaker asks me to. You are not the Speaker yet. You can apply next time, I suppose, when the job becomes available.

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will resume his seat for a second. I will call the member for Ballarat if she is indicating that she wants to raise a point of order on something other than relevance. I'm not calling the member for Ballarat. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

I am not going to receive a lecture from the member for Ballarat, when she hasn't received the call, in disagreeing with my ruling. The member for Ballarat is warned. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When it comes to government advertising, this is important so that we can get out there and inform people who are going to be impacted by the Inland Rail about their options. It is nation-building infrastructure. We can go down the Labor way: we can be in a banana republic and build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything. That was their philosophy. When it comes to government advertising, those opposite had six years in government and, in that time, they were the champions of wasting money—and the book that I am holding proves it. Remember this little book?

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

The Deputy Prime Minister knows the rules on props.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sure. It was absolutely red, for you red-raggers over there, you bunch of socialists. But there's $69.5 million wasted on the carbon tax. How'd the carbon tax work for you? Then there was Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister, spending $53,000 on running a blog that no-one even commented on. There was carbon tax advertising for toddlers, $150,000. The list goes on: Labor spin-doctors wasting money— (Time expired)

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

The member for Ballarat, seeking to table a document?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was actually going to seek leave for him to table that document, but I'm also seeking leave to table a document that shows the government spent $190,000 on a social licence strategy for inland rail—not advertising—to develop empathy.

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

You're seeking to table Hansard? Is that what you're seeking to table?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senate estimates, yes.

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

As I've said before, that's ridiculous.

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

On a separate point of order: there were two issues that were referred to with respect to the tabling. The other was the document that was part of a stunt, where it looks like even his own stunt had the words redacted. I can't say he was quoting from it, because there were no words, but we'd seek for it to be tabled.

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

There has been no request for it to be tabled.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did.

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

No, she said she was going to; she didn't. You'd better get it right next time.