Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Gallagher. I refer the minister to her statement to the Senate on Tuesday and subsequent answers in multiple question times. How is it a breach of confidentiality, as the minister has repeatedly claimed, to confirm whether or not the minister received an advance copy of a media broadcast which has subsequently been made public? I ask the minister: did she or did she not receive any advanced copy of content from The Project episode that was broadcast on Monday 15 February 2021?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Payne for the question. I'm going to refer back to my statement and the numerous answers I've given to questions that have been asked of me today. When somebody comes to me with information and asks that it be kept confidential, I intend to keep that confidentiality. I do that not just in this situation; I've done it in hundreds of situations before and indeed I have no doubt I'll be doing it again. It's for the ones that are going to come forward, who I don't know about yet, that I will keep the confidentiality. They need to know that, if they tell me something, it's not going to be aired on the floor of this parliament.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payne, a first supplementary?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has told the Senate that she did 'absolutely nothing' with the information provided to her in advance of The Project broadcast of 15 February 2021. Yet the minister has obfuscated on the question of whether or not she provided feedback in advance of that broadcast. Without revealing the content of communications, but so as to verify the veracity of that claim of doing 'absolutely nothing', did she or did she not provide any feedback in response to the information provided to her?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

HER (—) (): I refer Senator Payne to the answers I've given already on this. I'm keeping—

I did nothing with the information because I was asked to keep the information confidential. I did that. I know it's hard for you to understand that someone, given the nature of the information given to me, would actually do that, but that is what I did. I don't intend to go into any further detail about the—

An honourable senator interjecting

I refer you to my statement. I'm not going to go into further detail. The two issues that were raised from a parliamentary point of view that I needed to address, and have addressed, were about whether or not I had misled the Senate, which I maintain I didn't. And the second point was whether I had a role in relation to the settlement of the compensation claim, which I didn't. And I don't intend to go any further— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payne, a second supplementary.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister has a duty to be accountable to this chamber and yet the minister has continually used claims of confidentiality in response to questions about a very public media broadcast which the minister asked hundreds of questions about herself. Is the minister hiding behind the excuse of confidentiality because giving a direct answer would confirm that the minister misled the Senate when she said, 'No-one had any knowledge,' and misled the Senate again when she said that she did absolutely nothing with the information?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

GHER (—) (): The answer to that is no, and I have been accountable to the Senate. I have stood here every day, answering questions that relate to something that happened in the previous parliament—a very distressing situation for everyone, as we all know—

Well, Senator Henderson, I believe Ms Higgins. Now, whatever happened, it has been distressing for a lot of people in this building—as has this week. But the answer to your question is no, and I have been accountable to the Senate on both of those points that I believe needed addressing, which were around the nature of whether I had misled and also if I had a role in the compensation payment. I have been totally accountable to this Senate.