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

My question is again to the Prime Minister: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the list of sports rorts projects was changed more than four hours after the election was called and caretaker conventions commenced?

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

The member is referring to evidence that's been put before the Senate committee. I can only advise the House of matters that relate to the actions of my own office. I don't have knowledge when emails are sent by ministers' offices to other places. I don't have direct knowledge of those matters. Those matters are attended to by the ministers who have the authorising authority for approving those programs, as I stated and made reference to earlier.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr Khalil interjecting—

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

The member for Wills is warned. I'm just going to say yet again, members on my left, at least the members on my left asking questions expect me to be able to hear the answer. All can I hear is noise. Whatever the member for Wills was saying is completely unintelligible. No-one's hearing what he says. You are just creating a wall of noise to prevent me listening to the Prime Minister. If it's the only contribution you can make, you won't be here. The Prime Minister has the call. I need to listen to him.

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

In relation to issues that relate to the caretaker period, those opposite have put questions to the government about this. But I remember the 2013 election very, very well. I remember that on that occasion the secretary of Finance, David Tune, said he was given a formal direction by the then Special Minister of State, the member for Isaacs, where they spent $6.5 million in the middle of an election campaign advertising in The Sydney Morning Herald suggesting that people shouldn't come to Australia illegally by boat. They ran the advertisements in The Sydney Morning Herald. I don't know what they were doing in terms of running advertisements up in Indonesia, where the boats were coming from. It was one of the most prolific uses of political advertising by a government in an election campaign. It was absolutely disgraceful! This Leader of the Opposition can only throw mud because he sits in a puddle of mud.