Mr GARETH EVANS —My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Do you recall telling this House last Tuesday that the decision to scrub the DIFF program was made `before the last election'? Do you recall that decision in fact being announced by the member for Higgins in his `Meeting Our Commitments' statement on 15 February, well before the last election and your discovery of so-called black holes? Do you acknowledge that the sole stated reason then for the abolition of the DIFF program was the coalition's need to make savings to finance its pre-election promises and that there was not a word in that statement about current account deficits, savings ratios or other general budgetary pressures? Why then in your article published in the Australian today, and in your answer earlier on to the member for Hotham, did you explain the scrapping of DIFF only on the basis of the need of the aid program to contribute to the budget balancing task—the filling of the so-called $8 billion black hole?

Mr SPEAKER —The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will stop debating the question.

Mr GARETH EVANS —How can you justify so obviously misleading the Australian public and this parliament?

Mr McGauran —Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. That question cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. That is simply against standing orders. It was entirely rhetorical, contained complete argument and was, quite frankly, in defiance of your caution earlier.

Mr DOWNER —What the member for Hotham asked me was whether we would reinstate the program. That is what you asked, didn't you? The point is that, yes, it is true; we did announce that the program would be abolished in `Meeting our Commitments'. Then the member for Hotham says, `Will we reinstate it?' Will we reinstate it when you have left us with an $8 billion black hole? Really and truly, how irresponsible can you get? You people—the member for Holt, the member for Kingsford-Smith, the member for Perth, the Leader of the Opposition—are effectively arguing that we should reinstate this program. And others in the media have argued that. I read this, and I understand the argument. But when you give us an $8 billion black hole to fill and then turn around and say that we should reinstate a program it just shows how little you understand about managing finance. It just shows how little you understand.

Mr Gareth Evans —Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table the article in the Australian today and the extract from `Meeting our Commitments', which make absolutely clear the nub of the charge that I made that he is dishonestly misleading this public and this parliament.

Leave not granted.