Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

In speaking to the motion, it probably would have been wise if the Leader of the House and the Chief Government Whip had found out why the Chief Opposition Whip has chosen to remove himself from the Selection Committee for one day: because his partner is going into hospital tomorrow and he is returning to North Queensland to be with her during a very serious operation. He is only discharging himself from the Selection Committee for the period in which he is away from the parliament. When he returns it is expected that he will be returning to the Selection Committee and that the member for Forrest will be removing herself from it. There is no provision in the standing orders for that to be done on a temporary basis, so it fell to the Chief Opposition Whip to remove himself for a period of 24 hours until he returns from North Queensland.

I am embarrassed for the Leader of the House. I am sure he was not aware of that. I would ask him to return to the dispatch box and apologise for what was a very low act—done, I assume, in ignorance. I am sure that if he had known that was the case he would never have made such an absurd contribution, which is now in the record of Hansard and which I have now had the opportunity to clarify.

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