Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
3:21 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
David Hawker Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
Yes.
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
Today while answering a question, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, amongst other things:
All they will do is cause war—that is all they will do. Some people on the other side may mock, as the member for Sydney does, but my view is that all those people will do is cause war.
And so on. Mr Speaker, I took objection to two things in that statement and we have only dealt with one. I wish to make a personal explanation in relation to both of those.
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
The first thing that I wish to make a personal explanation on is that the Minister for Foreign Affairs—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Mr Speaker, this is not a personal explanation; this is a debate, and properly she should speak on the adjournment.
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. I am listening closely to the member for Sydney and I would ask her to come to the point where she has been personally misrepresented.
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
Thank you, Mr Speaker; I am. The first way in which I was misrepresented is that in this statement I believe the Minister for Foreign Affairs has grouped me with a group of people that he suggests are interested in supporting and causing war in Lebanon and the Middle East. I find that deeply and profoundly offensive.
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member will not debate this. The member has made her point, but she will not debate it.
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
Secondly, Mr Speaker, he has suggested that I was sniggering and indeed laughing. There is no way that anyone could imagine that I would ever in any circumstances laugh at what is going on in the Middle East today. Perhaps I had a look of disbelief on my face.
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare
He is a very uncredible foreign affairs minister. But I was certainly not laughing at the situation in the Middle East.
David Hawker Speaker
The member has made her point. She will not debate it. The member will resume her seat.