Senator FAULKNER (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate)(3.01 p.m.) —I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (Senator Vanstone), to a question without notice asked by Senator Faulkner today, relating to a contract betwen the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs and South Pacific Cruise Lines Limited.

The `ship of fools' issue is the most recent in a very long line of ministerial foul-ups from Senator Vanstone. It has been a sorry saga of ministerial incompetence from Senator Vanstone from day one. Yesterday, we had the absurd spectacle of government senators trying to protect Senator Vanstone. It was a desperate attempt to cover up the South Pacific Cruise Lines issue by derailing a Senate estimates committee hearing. They did this by bringing in extraneous issues, irrelevant issues, and by trying to waste the time of that committee.

But, eventually, the truth had to come out. The truth is this: Senator Vanstone has fouled up again in the administration of her portfolio. That is the story. That is the reason that I predict Senator Vanstone will be losing her job tomorrow. We have seen the last in the Australian Senate of Senator Vanstone as Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs.

Senator Vanstone said she was aware of the South Pacific Cruise Lines fiasco on 11 and 12 June. But many other issues relating to this particular matter came across Senator Vanstone's desk. On 30 April, she got a drop copy of a brief that went to Dr Kemp on the William Angliss 2000 project. Now, of course, that was not signed off by Senator Vanstone—she does not do that; that was signed off by a departmental liaison officer in her office.

Senator Vanstone received several letters from Liberal members of parliament: from her colleague Mr Jull on 7 May and from her colleague Mr Slipper on 22 May. She did nothing about those letters. She got a ministerial brief on the issues that Mr Jull raised on 16 May. That was not signed. In fact, Senator Vanstone has said it was not even seen by her—a ministerial brief to her. She did nothing about it.

After the matter became public on 11 June—when she claims she was made aware of media reports—she got two briefs from the DEETYA Queensland central area office. She did nothing about them. There were consistent media reports and publicity about the South Pacific Cruise Lines issue; she did nothing about them. The matter was debated ad nauseam in the Queensland parliament. Senator Vanstone did nothing about it. She received a number of possible parliamentary questions and question time briefs from her department over those weeks; she did nothing about them.

She was asked questions in the Senate estimates committee hearing on 19 August. Many serious issues were raised, particularly by my colleagues Senator Chris Evans and Senator O'Brien. She did nothing about those issues that were raised at the Senate estimates committee hearing. In fact, the next day, as responsible minister, she oversaw her department extending the contract with these same shonky SPCL operators. Questions were also asked by Senator O'Brien in the chamber right here on 27 and 28 August this year. She did nothing about the matter.

So with bad press after bad press and media reports about the shonky operators of this cruise line company and their mafia links, what did Senator Vanstone do when she read these reports? She did nothing. In fact, it was only on 26 August that she first raised the issue with the secretary of her department. It is extraordinary that it took the minister 76 days or 11 weeks, if you like, after she became aware of the matter—according to her, although we know she was aware of it a lot longer; it took her that long to raise the issue with her departmental secretary. Then she wrote to her departmental secretary, Mr Sedgwick, on 3 September; she had the hide to write to him and complain that nothing was being done by her department.

This minister did nothing. Her office did nothing. She did not, of course, exercise her ministerial responsibilities. She claims that she asked the Auditor-General to act, but only on 12 September. It is a pathetic performance from a minister who, for the last time, has presented in this chamber as Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. She will go; she deserves to go. (Time expired)