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

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister claimed he began work on an anticorruption commission four years ago. The Prime Minister pledged to legislate one three years ago. Why has the Prime Minister betrayed the Australian people and his own colleagues by breaking his anticorruption pledge?

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

I'm not going to take lectures from the Labor Party about anticorruption. They'd be very well aware of the matters in Victoria at the moment and the matters in Queensland at the moment. I would've thought that the Labor Party would not be coming in here today when integrity issues, and the lack of integrity being displayed by their colleagues in seeking to sweep things under the carpet in those places, are well on display in Victoria and Queensland.

But the gold standard when it comes to corruption was the Labor Party in New South Wales. They have so many ex-Labor ministers in prison that they could start a branch of the Labor Party in Silverwater prison. When they go to meet them, they're at the Silverwater prison.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think I heard only about half of that answer of the Prime Minister because of the wall of noise on both sides of the House. I ask honourable members to limit their interjections. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

The Treasurer just reminded me that perhaps what I was saying then was a bit too close to home for the Labor Party. It's certainly a bit too close to home for the Leader of the Labor Party. His good mate is Ian Macdonald. He saved his preselection and he went off to prison.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a point of order, Mr Speaker, on relevance. The question isn't an invitation for the Prime Minister to engage in the kind of spray he is now.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Goldstein and the member for Rankin! It's very hard to rule on relevance when I can't hear what's being said.

Government members interjecting—

I don't need advice from members on my right, thank you very much. I simply can't rule on the issue of relevance when I can't hear the answer that is being given.

Opposition members interjecting—

That comment from my left—more an expression than a comment—is disorderly if it was directed to the chair. I'll give the member the benefit of the doubt. It seems like someone has a guilty conscience. I didn't even point them out. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question goes to the government's lack of action in terms of putting in place an anticorruption commission at the federal level, despite undertakings that they had made. Not a single word that the Prime Minister has spoken in his answer to this question, which has been going for a minute and 18 seconds, goes to that—not one word.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm listening very carefully to the Prime Minister. I ask the Prime Minister to be directly relevant, as he is required to be under the standing orders. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

I'm responding to allegations from those opposite. They're suggesting something very untoward about members on this side of the House. I'm simply reminding those members that, if they want to come to the dispatch box and start talking about these matters, I'll talk about the times when the member for Watson was at Eddie Obeid's ski lodge. I don't know whether he has been off to see him in prison lately. Here he comes. Are you writing to them in prison? Are you sending them letters?

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order?

Honourable members interjecting—

There's so much noise you can't hear me. The Leader of the Opposition has the call.

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

I realise that this is a Prime Minister under pressure.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a point of order?

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

Yes, there is, Mr Speaker. He cannot use question time to just spray those opposite. This was a very specific question about his responsibility and his commitments.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. I say to all members in the House that references to corrupt conduct, corruption or the commission of an offence like fraud, which I picked someone up on yesterday, are unparliamentary if directed towards a member of this House, a group of members of this House or a party that belongs in this House—and this goes on both sides. I will pull members up on them. I don't care what side they're from. They are unparliamentary remarks and they should not be used in the House. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

The Leader of the Labor Party is happy to come in here every day this week and cast slurs against me and members of the government. What I know about the Leader of the Labor Party is he can dish it out but he can't take it. And if he hasn't got the strength of character to cop it, he should stop dishing it out.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Mr Speaker—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition has already used his point of order on relevance. Is there another point of order?

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

Yes, Mr Speaker. I say to the Prime Minister: I'm happy to give the leave to have a discussion about anti-corruption and about our records, right now in this chamber.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.

I don't need to hear from the Leader of the House.

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. There is conduct that is creeping into practice in this place where the use of points of order is being abused. I will be pulling members up for points of order which are not valid, and if it keeps happening then don't be surprised if you don't get the call. I'm trying my best to err on the side of caution and always give members that do rise, at the dispatch box or otherwise, the point of order, because I think that's a reasonable thing to do. But, if that process is being abused, then there may be opportunities where you just simply don't get the call. I'm happy to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker, just briefly, because the context here does matter. Ministers—and it's within your rights as Speaker—are now being allowed to travel much more widely than they have travelled for some years in their answers. If that happens, there will be a response. People will respond spontaneously. It will happen, and points of order will then be raised, because they will go to the order of the House when the House falls into disorder—points which don't have to be on relevance. But the change in behaviour has happened directly at the same time that ministers have been given a much wider berth than has happened here for some years.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for that. One of the benefits of the Christmas break is an opportunity to read Hansard, and I don't think there has been a significant change in my—

An honourable member: That's sad!

It is terribly sad! But I don't think there's been a significant change in the way I'm approaching it compared with previous Speakers. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

To the best of my recollection, last year—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith.

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

I tabled a 350-page bill for the government's Commonwealth Integrity Commission. I tabled the bill. I'm still waiting for the Labor Party's proposal. All I've seen is a two-page document. So what I have to rely on for the Labor Party policy is what I'm seeing in the circus that we're seeing unfold in Queensland and in Victoria, and what we've seen in New South Wales from the Labor Party over a long period of time. Our bill's out there—350 pages, $150 million committed to it. There are many qualities you need to lead this country as Prime Minister, but being a sook and a snarler— (Time expired)

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat and I give the call to the member for Ryan.