Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

Of course, the other significant matter in question time today was a question that I asked on an issue that was actually canvassed yesterday in the Senate by coalition senators, and that issue is the appalling performance thus far of the Assistant Treasurer, Mr Stephen Jones. Normally in government if you made one mistake, that would be serious enough for a reprimand from the Prime Minister or a reprimand from the Treasurer. But, no, the Assistant Treasurer has made not one, not two but three mistakes. All we got from Senator Gallagher, who represents both the Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer in the Senate, was a statement reflecting on her personal relationship with Mr Jones. I don't doubt that there's a long history there. But the critical point we were examining in question time today is whether or not the Assistant Treasurer has the character, has the integrity, has the professional skill to be responsible for—to have management and oversight over—the financial services portfolio. I think it's clear—the revelation that Senator McKim gave to this chamber last week makes it very, very clear—that the Assistant Treasurer does not have the character or the integrity to manage what is a very significant portfolio.

It's worth reminding the chamber that a newspaper report in the Sydney Morning Herald noted, when talking about the Financial Accountability Regime Bill, that Mr Jones had said that there had been no sign-off on anything. There had been 'no deal', Mr Jones is quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald. But last week Senator McKim, again, in the chamber, made it very clear. He said; 'There is absolutely no doubt that Minister Jones and I had an agreement, and any claim that there was no agreement is false.' That is a significant revelation in this place by Senator McKim about his dealings, his negotiations, with Stephen Jones.

That is an unacceptable way in which the Assistant Treasurer has dealt with some very important legislation, and I would go so far as to say that the greatest bulk of bills that are passed through the Senate since we came back after the election have been Treasury and financial bills. Careful management, careful negotiations of these bills is central to the wellbeing of Australians and their families. And we have Senator McKim calling out the fact that the Assistant Treasurer cannot be trusted with his word on important matters.