Anthony Albanese has been slammed as “a hopeless liar” in an extraordinary face-to-face confrontation that unfolded during question time.
The war of words erupted as the Prime Minister and the opposition exchanged blows over net zero climate change targets and interest rates and Liberal Party leadership tensions.
But it was after the Treasurer Jim Chalmers accused the Opposition leader Sussan Ley of lying over interest rates that the situation erupted.
He then accused the opposition of making “egregious lies” about government spending.
“The Leader of the Opposition said completely untruthfully, dishonestly, that the Reserve Bank yesterday called out the government ‘s spending when it came to the decision that they took independently at the board level. That never happened,’’ Mr Chalmers said.
“In fact, government spending was not mentioned by the Reserve Bank Governor yesterday, it was not mentioned in the board statement.”
Under parliamentary rules it is unparliamentary to directly accuse an MP of lying, prompting the manager of government business Alex Hawke to intervene, slamming down his folder on the despatch table.
But after Mr Albanese started sledging Mr Hawke as he rose to his feet calling him “hopeless” Mr Hawke launched an extraordinary tirade.
“No, you are hopeless and a liar. Lying to the Australian people,’’ Mr Hawke said, pointing directly at the Prime Minister.
“If lying is in order… This is a liar. That is what we are debating here and I am happy to debate it.”
Ultimately, the Speaker Milton Dick required both men to withdraw their accusations of lying on the grounds it was unparliamentary.
In Parliament, Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen accused the Liberal Party of in-fighting and navel-gazing.
“Truly, we’ve had a Liberal Party say to the National Party, ‘They are terrorists,’ he said.
“And, ‘the first rule of being a parasite is not to kill your host. It’s all going swimmingly over there.’
“The party of Harold Holt is now the party of Andrew Bolt. That is how the National Party is calling the shots over there.
“All a reminder as the great Bob Hawke called Australia if you can’t govern yourselves, you can’t govern the country.”
In Parliament, the Prime Minister accused Coalition MPs of “queuing up to be on Sky News to attack each other.”
Nationals MP Michael McCormack urged the Coalition to give Sussan Ley some “clear air”, after slamming “cowards” within the Coalition ranks for anonymously calling the Nationals “terrorists” and “parasites”.
“She hasn’t had any clear air in the five or six months she has been leader. She’s the first female leader of the Liberal Party in 81 years and the first female opposition leader ever,” Mr McCormack said.
“She needs to be given clear air. Give her a go. I mean, look at her speeches on the economy, look at her background story; they’re good, they’re strong, they’re solid.
“Calling the Nationals terrorists and things like that doesn’t help anybody within the Coalition.
“Put your name to whatever you’re going to do. Don’t do it in an anonymous way. That’s the coward’s way.”
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