Well, the member is referring to evidence that’s been put before the Senate committee.
I can only advise the house, Mr Speaker, of matters that relate to the actions of my own office. And I’m – I don’t have knowledge when emails are sent by ministers’s offices to other places. I don’t have – direct knowledge of those matters.
Those are matters that are attended to by the ministers who have the authorising authority, Mr Speaker, for approving those programs which I have stated.
…So, in relation to issues that relate to the caretaker period, Mr Speaker, those opposite have put questions to the government about this. But, Mr Speaker, I remember the 2013 election very, very well.
And I remember on that occasion the secretary of finance, David Tune, said he was given a formal direction by the then Special Minister of State, where they spent $6.5 million in the middle, Mr Speaker, of an election campaign, advertising in the Sydney Morning Herald, in the Sydney Morning Herald, suggesting people shouldn’t come to Australia illegally by boat.
They ran the advertisements in the Sydney Morning Herald, I don’t know what they were doing in terms of running advertisements up in Indonesia where the boats were coming from, but it was one of the most prolific uses of political advertising by a government in an election campaign, it was absolutely disgraceful.
This Leader of the Opposition can only throw mud, ‘cause he sits in a puddle of mud.
