Peter McGauran Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House
3:39 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
David Hawker Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Peter McGauran Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House
Yes.
Peter McGauran Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House
During question time, in a question from the Leader of the Opposition to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, the Leader of the Opposition made two false assertions. The first was that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry endorsed work by industry group Single Vision. Mr Speaker, Single Vision has not approached the government seeking endorsement for its research, nor has the government given formal endorsement of the conduct of its project. The second falsehood was when the Leader of the Opposition asserted that, whilst the Deputy Prime Minister was out in regional Australia defending the single desk, his National Party colleague was undermining him on the single desk. That is simply wrong. As I reiterated at that time, and have since on any number of occasions, the government has given a firm commitment to wheat growers that the single desk will remain as long as there is a benefit to them and to the nation’s export performance.