Mr STEPHEN SMITH (2:15 PM) —My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, is it the case, as reported today, that your office has contacted major employer groups and demanded that they provide ‘good news stories’ about the government’s industrial relations changes? Prime Minister, was the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ACCI, one of those groups? Isn’t it the case that, had ACCI’s submissions on the minimum wage been accepted over the past 10 years, the minimum wage would be $95 a week, or $4,940 a year, less? Prime Minister, is $4,940 a year less for the nearly two million Australian employees who are dependent on the minimum wage the kind of ‘good news story’ you had in mind?

Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister) —It would hardly come as a surprise to this House for me to acknowledge that my office does have regular contact with employer organisations. It is very regular and I make no apologies for that. I like to know the views of many people in the community, and we of course all know that the shadow minister has never had any contact with Greg Combet on this subject. So that must be our starting point on this issue.

There is one thing I can say: I may have contact with employer organisations but I think I can confidently assert that no staff employed by any of my ministers has rung me on talkback radio with a dorothy dix question. We knew of ‘Chris’—from Waramanga, wasn’t he? We now have a modern version, which has come to us courtesy of Media Watch. ‘I see a good amendment of life in thee.’ Media Watch has given us Corinne, from HQ. It turns out that ‘Corinne’ is an employee of the member for Brisbane, who is a shadow minister. She apparently rang the Leader of the Opposition on ABC Radio 612 and said:

Kim Beazley said:

The interviewer said, ‘But, Mr Beazley, this isn’t biting out there.’ Do you know how Mr Beazley replied? He said:

‘Corinne’ happens to be the President of Queensland Young Labor. We are deeply indebted to the news hounds and sleuths of the Courier-Mail. They have a photograph of Peter Beattie after ‘10 years at the Labor helm’. You have Gough and Peter, and you have Corinne.

I have to say that I looked at Corinne before I did Gough and Peter. I know I will get into trouble for saying that in this politically correct age, but I am too advanced in that view to change. The simple fact of the matter is that this is a shameful cook-up of a dorothy dixer, and I will not take any lectures from the opposition about whom I should talk to.