The Hon Alex Hawke MP
Member for Mitchell
The Hon Kevin Hogan MP
Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism
Deputy Manager of Opposition Business
Deputy Leader of the National Party
MEDIA RELEASE
9-Oct-25
REVEALED: THE LABOR MINISTERS WHO CUT CLASS THIS WEEK
Thirteen lazy Labor Ministers have failed to show up and answer basic questions about their portfolios during the Parliament’s annual review of budget expenditure.
From Tuesday to Thursday the House of Representatives formally scrutinised the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026, the main budgetary Bill. As is longstanding convention, this is an opportunity for Members to ask questions directly to Ministers about their portfolios in a ‘question and answer’ format.
The following Ministers failed to front up to represent their portfolios:
Treasurer Jim Chalmers
Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration, Citizenship and Cyber Security Tony Burke
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen
Minister for Defence Richard Marles
Minister for Education Jason Clare
Minister for Defence Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy
Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Cities, Clare O’Neil
Minister for Employment & Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth
Minister for Regional Development, Local Government, Territories and Emergency Management Kristy McBain
Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King
Minister for Communications and Sport Anika Wells
Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek
Manager of Opposition Business in the House, Alex Hawke, said the Albanese Labor Government’s arrogance was on full display.
“Every year the Parliament runs the ruler over the Budget and gets the chance to ask questions directly to Ministers, but instead Labor Ministers have simply failed to show up,” Mr Hawke said.
“The Prime Minister often makes breathless claims about the importance of transparency, but when the rubber hits the road, his government goes MIA.
“Unfortunately, this was just the latest tactic being used by Labor to avoid scrutiny: yesterday, Labor used their numbers to block the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the triple zero system.”
Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House, Kevin Hogan, said taxpayers deserve answers to basic questions about government spending.
“If Ministers can’t front the Parliament to defend their own spending, what exactly are they doing?,” Mr Hogan said.
“This is basic accountability: when the Budget is under scrutiny, Ministers should be in the chamber.”
“Labor like talking about transparency until they’re the ones being asked the questions. This week they simply avoided scrutiny.”
Labor has also changed the Standing Orders so that the Opposition asks far fewer questions of the Government during Question Time, in addition to taking three parliamentary committee Deputy Chair positions off Coalition Members.
ENDS