Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, representing the Prime Minister. I refer to reports that the Prime Minister has recently met with the leadership group and raised the possibility of a double dissolution election.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You don't want that!

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Roll out the disposable nappies for you lot!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A double dissolution with Tony Abbott as leader!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Just a moment, Senator Sterle.

Honourable senators interjecting—

On my right and my left! On both sides, or I will start naming senators!

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Bring back Peter! Tony Abbott unplugged: it's a disaster!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Sterle, would you like to commence your question again? We will start the clock again.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. As I was about to say, through you, Mr President: was the minister present? And is the Prime Minister considering a double dissolution election?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I can fully understand why Senator Sterle is so exercised about this issue, given that the Labor Party struggled to get one Labor senator elected at the last Senate election!

Of course, if there were a double dissolution our friend, Senator Sterle, may well be struggling to come back. And, given my great friendship—

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, no! He wants one!

Opposition senators interjecting—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sean says, 'Bring it on!'

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock! Minister, just a moment.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes—Sean Edwards says, 'Bring it on!'

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Conroy!

Honourable senators interjecting—

Both sides! Senator Bilyk and Senator Collins!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And, Mr President, given my genuine affection for Senator Sterle, and not wanting him to be displaced from this place, I can assure him that I will do everything I can to ensure that this Senate does the right thing by legislation so that the situation for a double dissolution is completely and utterly academic.

I am genuinely concerned for the future of Senator Sterle. And in relation to things that may or may not be discussed at leadership, my—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock! Senator Cameron—a point of order?

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr President. My point of order is on relevance—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just a moment, Senator Cameron.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's not far to Yarralumla in the car—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy!

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is on relevance. The key issue that was asked was: was Senator Abetz present in a discussion on a double dissolution?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Cameron. I think you rose to your feet as the minister was answering that particular aspect. Minister—have you concluded your answer?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr President.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to observations by a cabinet minister, who said:

We would need to be on crack to go to a double dissolution …

And the Minister for Agriculture said—through you, Mr President:

We'll have someone from the Bully Bushwacker party and they'll end up having three seats and we will go mad.

Does the minister share these views, or is he in the Prime Minister's camp?

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave me out of it!

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've already got Wacka!

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National Party is at it again!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Just a moment, Minister. Order on both sides! You are eating into your own question time.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sometimes I think you have to be on crack to read the gossip columns and then take them seriously, like Senator Sterle does, to regurgitate them in this place!

I do not intend to use my days and hours reading these gossip columns. They are simply of no interest to me. What that question shows, yet again, is that the Australian Labor Party and its senators—fond as I am of Senator Sterle—dedicate themselves not to policy and a new direction for our country but on reading gossip columns and then thinking they can construct clever questions around—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock! Senator Moore—a point of order?

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr President, on direct relevance. The minister has been talking around the question. The question was particularly about the double dissolution question. He has—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, come on!

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes it was, Minister.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! No argument across the table. You are directing your comments to me, Senator Moore.

Mr President, the question itself was around the double dissolution election. The rest was argument.

Senator Sterle asked a question which I think, in all assessments, has an element where the minister has been answering directly to the question. He raised some direct quotes out of the media. The minister has been responding to those direct quotes out of the media.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Allow me to repeat: we, as a government, are determined to concentrate on the policy issues facing this country to reduce the cost of living for Australians and to create as many jobs as possible. Whilst we are doing that, the Labor Party reads gossip columns and asks questions about them.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to comments from another minister, who said:

Given his increasing desperation, there could be a rush to the governor-general.

Will a double dissolution election be the next captain's call?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I repeat: I can understand why Senator Sterle is so excited about the possibility of a Senate election, because I daresay he and some of his colleagues may well be in for the high jump. I say to the honourable senator that I will seek to do everything I can to protect him from that fate by ensuring that we have a good, working, orderly parliament. I would invite him and his colleagues, like we are doing on this side, to concentrate on the issues facing this nation and to deal with the issues of cost of living and with the issues of job creation. That is rather than worrying about unnamed sources in gossip columns in the newspapers of our country.