Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, indeed, most grievously.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In an adjournment speech in the last sitting week on 1 June, I was forcefully and unjustifiably accused of making direct threats to the Central Coast Mariners. The member for Shortland claimed that as a direct result of threats by the member for Dobell the coach of the Mariners withdrew as patron of the Coastal Voice. I do not know anybody at all on the Mariners; I have never spoken to them. This Coastal Voice is a Labor Party front. She also went on to say that the Coastal Voice will publish numerous emails and comments sent from the member for Dobell. I have not done that. She also then accused my staff of sending nasty and scurrilous emails. They have not done that. These are all false claims and all they are trying to do is cover up a Labor Party front.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member can explain where he has been misrepresented, but he will not debate the issue.

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been misrepresented by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations in a press release issued after question time the last time we met, Thursday, 1 June. In that press release, he asserted that I quoted the chair of the government’s low pay commission in the following terms:

‘pushes the Low Pay Commission to reduce the minimum wage in real terms’.

I refer to a draft of the question distributed in advance of question time for media purposes where the only work that is in quotation marks is the word ‘pushes’. I refer to the Hansard chamber green distributed by the Content Management Branch which has the word ‘pushes’ in quotes. I refer to the daily Hansard which has the following:

... and I quote—‘pushes’ ...

And I refer to Professor Harper, the chair of the government’s low pay commission on the Lateline program of 31 May 2006, in response to a question about minimum wages going down in real terms, saying:

... the act pushes us there.

I did not make the quotation that the minister misleadingly asserts.