Mr CREAN (3:06 PM) —My question is to the Treasurer, representing the Minister for Finance and Administration. Can the Treasurer confirm that the former Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration—his former staffer, Dr Peter Boxall—knew that the Heffernan Comcar record was a forgery late in the year 2000? Treasurer, what steps did either Dr Boxall or former Minister Fahey take on learning that the documentation being circulated to damage a justice of the High Court of Australia was bogus? What did Dr Boxall and Mr Fahey do?

Mr COSTELLO (Treasurer) —I cannot confirm that because, as has already been said in this House, Dr Boxall was not given a copy of the document which Senator Heffernan gave to Commissioner Peter Ryan. Since he had never seen the document, how could he possibly know it was false or bogus? As has already been said by my colleague the Minister for Employment Services, not only had Dr Boxall not been given a copy of that document; no other minister had been given a copy of that document. Senator Heffernan has made it entirely clear that he relied on that document, which he now concedes to be false, and he forwarded it to the New South Wales Commissioner of Police. He did not forward it to Dr Boxall or to the minister for finance or to the Prime Minister or to me.

Mr Crean —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order which goes to relevance, and it goes to the known state of bogus documents that Dr Boxall knew—

The SPEAKER —The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. There is no way the Treasurer's answer was anything other than relevant to the question asked.

Mr COSTELLO —Mr Speaker, the answer is absolutely on point: Dr Boxall was not given a copy of that document. How could he know it was false when he had not seen it, he had not been given it? How could any minister be in that situation? I think there are now 14 questions left until the end of question time this week. I will make a prediction. In all of those 14 questions there won't be one on interest rates; there won't be one on jobs, there won't be one on families. They will be sitting there thinking to themselves, `How do we eke out another 14 questions on who knew what and when and what they said to the sister and what the sister said to the mother and what they said over the back fence and what Uncle Tom Cobbley knew about it?'

The facts are that no matter how often it is alleged, as has been said by Minister for Employment Services and as I have said, that document was not given to Dr Boxall, it was not given to the minister for finance, it was not given to the Prime Minister. It was given by Senator Heffernan to one person—the New South Wales Commissioner of Police, Commissioner Ryan. When Senator Heffernan became aware that it was not accurate, he had the decency to go and apologise. The judge had the graciousness to accept the apology. And the only people that want to keep this going are the Labor Party for their own tawdry ends.

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —If the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Leader of the Opposition wish to engage in a conference, I am sure Aussie's will be happy to accommodate them. The House certainly is not. In fact, I would be tempted to offer to host them if it were instant. The member for Pearce has the call.