Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. I refer the minister to his previous answers in this place, in which he stated:

The decision to hold that function was made taking into account previous advice from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet ...

Can the minister confirm that he has read this advice? Can the minister indicate who sought the advice? Was this advice sought prior to or after the cocktail party at Kirribilli House? When was the advice provided and, in particular, does this advice specifically canvass the use of Kirribilli House for a Liberal Party function on 1 June 2007?

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are some very specific questions there which I may need to seek confirmation of answers to, because I do not want to mislead the Senate in any way at all. Senator Wong, presumably, was also watching the Prime Minister’s press conference. He said there—and I am recollecting what he said in that press conference—that oral advice was sought by the Prime Minister’s office of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet prior to the Kirribilli function as to the appropriateness of the Prime Minister inviting delegates of the Liberal Party and business observers to Kirribilli on the basis of the Liberal Party paying the additional costs—that is, costs, over the fixed costs of running Kirribilli, of hosting that function. He said that the advice given to the Prime Minister’s office by PM&C was that it would be appropriate if it was not of itself a fundraising function and if the Liberal Party paid the additional costs of hosting that function at Kirribilli. That is as the Prime Minister reported it in his press conference. That is what I relay to the Senate in response to Senator Wong’s question. I will look again at Senator Wong’s question in the Hansard. If there is any further information that I should provide to the Senate in relation to her questions, I will do so at the earliest opportunity.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer the minister to his answer earlier this week in which he, in relation to the advice, indicated that he would not mislead the Senate in reporting that advice. I infer from that, through you, Mr President, that the minister has read the advice. I again ask the minister to table the advice. I note on previous occasions he has refused to do so. Minister, isn’t it the case that, if this advice absolved the government of any wrongdoing in its use of a taxpayer funded residence for Liberal Party fundraising purposes, you would table it? Why don’t you table the advice in the Senate on this occasion?

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, would you explain to Senator Wong that questions should be asked through the President and not directly to the minister?

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do believe the senator did on one occasion during the supplementary question refer it through me. It is, unfortunately, a habit that some senators are getting into, Senator Macdonald, on both sides of the chamber—that is, not directing their answers or questions through the chair. It is a timely reminder for all of us, I think.

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the Minister representing the Prime Minister in this place, I act on advice and I report faithfully and honestly the advice provided to me. As to the tabling of advice, as Senator Wong would know, it is the practice of all governments, both present and past, not to table internal advice. We are not proposing to table the advice. We continue to point out to people like Senator Wong that this was not a fundraising function. The Prime Minister, as the Prime Minister, invited, as he is able to—as former Prime Ministers Keating, Hawke and others have—guests to his official residence. These were Liberal Party people, yes. These were business observers to the Federal Council of the Liberal Party, yes. All the additional costs of that function were paid for by the Liberal Party.