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Thursday, 16 February 2012
Page: 1661

Gillard Government

Mr PYNE (Sturt—Manager of Opposition Business) (14:58): My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's declaration that, 'Before you can persuade Australians of your credentials to run the country, you have to show you can run your political party.' With cabinet ministers now banned from taking notes in meetings or daring to talk to editors, hasn't she condemned herself with her own words—that if you cannot run your party, you cannot run the country?

Ms Saffin interjecting —

Government members interjecting —

The SPEAKER: When the member for Page and others manage to restrain themselves, the Prime Minister will be given the call.

Ms GILLARD (Lalor—Prime Minister) (14:59): I thank the member for Sturt for his question, though I would have to say I am a little bit surprised by it, in circumstances where Niki Savva's op-ed earlier in the week in the Australian newspaper said:

Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin sent an email to shadows and whips last week reminding them they had to get clearance in advance.

The context of that in the previous sentence was:

More difficult is keeping MPs away from major media, especially if they are not good at it, or their performances have the potential to cut across an agreed strategy.

Mr Pyne: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is warned.

Mr Pyne: I remind the Prime Minister that she should be directly relevant and, quite frankly, she was not asked about anything other than dysfunction in her own government and she should be relevant to that question in answering.

The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister is aware of the standing orders. The Prime Minister has the call.

Ms GILLARD: I was asked a very broad question about leadership and political parties. I am making the very simple point that I presume the member is asking the question as a result of some game in the opposition because on his own test from what he said in his question the Leader of the Opposition is ruled out from being Prime Minister as a result of Peta Credlin's gag order.