House debates Personal Explanations

Tuesday, 23 May 2006 House of Representatives

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party

3:23 pm

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

David Hawker

David Hawker Speaker

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party

I do indeed.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party

The last edition of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny Of Bills Alert Digest dealt with my private member’s bill, Protection of the Australian National Flag (Desecration of the Flag) Bill 2006. In that digest, it said that at the time I failed to lodge an explanatory memorandum. I would point out that when I introduced the bill to the House and spoke to it I tabled an explanatory memorandum, which was part of the last sentence of my speech. I have written to the committee and asked it to record an apology, but I would like this chamber to take note that in fact they just plain got it wrong.

David Hawker

David Hawker Speaker

The member will resume her seat. She has explained where she was misrepresented.

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations

3:24 pm

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

David Hawker

David Hawker Speaker

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations

Yes.

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations misrepresented me in question time today in precisely the same manner as yesterday, and my response is precisely the same today as it was yesterday.