Mr CREAN (2:21 PM) —My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the letter released today by Ms Jane Halton in which she recalls her `extreme shock' at learning that there were doubts that the children overboard photographs were not what they purported to be. Prime Minister, if this senior official was so shocked at the news, and immediately conveyed that to Mr Max Moore-Wilton and to Mr Jordana, how can you expect us to believe it was not taken seriously by either of them? How can you expect us to believe that none of these people passed the news on to you?

Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister) —I should point out in reply to that question by the Leader of the Opposition that the letter does record extreme shock. It does refer to her and her husband vividly remembering the shock. I would make the observation that this recollection had not been available some weeks earlier when the initial statement was made to the inquiry.

Mr Swan —Public Service Medal.

Mr HOWARD —I simply make that observation. I would also make the observation in answer to the question—

The SPEAKER —The member for Ballarat may be a new member, but even she has been here long enough to acquaint herself with standing order 55.

Mr HOWARD —Seeing as the Leader of the Opposition has raised the question, can I just read from the letter. The letter reads:

So you have a situation where you have a tea-break, it is passed on to a staff member, passed on to somebody else, who has passed it on to Bryant. Ms Halton goes on to say that, from memory, she did not speak to Mr Moore-Wilton but she left a voicemail message. And then, in brackets, the letter says:

The SPEAKER —The member for Perth is warned!

Mr HOWARD —I would make the point that, if you really wanted to convey something that was critically important and was something that caused shock, I would have thought some attempt other than to leave a message on a voicemail was required. But I put aside the question of whether Mr Moore-Wilton was advised or not. This issue was alluded to in the Senate estimates last night, and I indicated to the House yesterday the recollection of Mr Jordana that he could have had a discussion on the issue of the photographs with Ms Halton. So there is nothing in this letter which is in any way inconsistent with what was said yesterday.

It remains the case that that issue was not conveyed to me by Mr Jordana. At no time did Mr Jordana raise that matter with me. It remains the case that I never at any stage received from my department or from my staff any advice which contradicted the original advice on which I relied. And nothing that the Leader of the Opposition has produced or anything that has come out in the Senate estimates has in any way altered that one unassailable fact.