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

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. I ask: can he confirm that he is the only permanent member of the Cabinet Office Policy Committee?

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

I refer the member to my earlier answer. Cabinet committees have various memberships. What matters is who attends those meetings. On the matters which have been more recently before the Governance Committee, those meetings were attended by me.

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

Point of order.

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

You want to write the answer too, do you?

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

Members on both sides! The member for Solomon! The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

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

On direct relevance.

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

Yes.

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

The question is asking about one cabinet committee: the Cabinet Office Policy Committee. The Prime Minister is answering with respect to the Governance Committee, which is a different committee.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Whilst I appreciate that this was a more specific question than the last one, it had a lot of argument and imputation—

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

No, it didn't.

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

The last question?

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

The last one didn't.

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

Well, you've just got to listen. I was talking about the last one.

Opposition members interjecting—

I can rule very quickly if members on my left want me to. The last question contained a lot of argument and imputation. I could have struck out quite a lot of it if I'd followed the rules strictly. You've only got to match some of the rhetoric with the specific subsections of the standing orders to do that. I think that's beyond argument. This question was more specific, but it essentially asked the same question that was there, with a long preamble, the last time. The Prime Minister has referred to his previous answer, and I think he was specific. He might not have given you the answer you want, but it's certainly directly relevant to the question. I'm listening closely to the Prime Minister.

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

The cabinet office policy committees meet together on a regular basis to focus on key challenges and issues facing the Australian people. As the convener of that committee, I bring into that Cabinet Office Policy Committee members of the cabinet, of the executive and of the government. That Cabinet Office Policy Committee has been dealing with issues like getting electricity prices down, how we manage plastics waste, how we can get focused on the energy needs of Australia into the future and how we can focus on meeting the challenges of the drought.

These cabinet office policy committees have been crucial mechanisms used for the government to come together, to pull together the experience, the learnings and the wisdom of those who sit on the government benches, and to focus on the issues that are most important to the Australian people. The lesson that the Australian people are getting from the opposition at the moment is that those opposite are more interested in the trivial politics of Canberra than the serious issues that are confronting the Australian people.