Kim Beazley Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
3:13 pm
At seven o’clock this morning they were putting bolts on that door and then they put out a press release to say that they had already been there, and, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
David Hawker Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Kim Beazley Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
Yes, by the Minister for Education, Science and Training.
Kim Beazley Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
The Minister for Education, Science and Training said in the course of her remarks in discussing the issues related to her history conference that I had stated two totally inconsistent positions. One was to support the idea of narrative history, and the other was to suggest that there ought to be a different priority associated with the advent of her conference, in which she implied that, because I thought it was not the best of ideas, I opposed the teaching of narrative history. I think it is very important that we all know who Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson were.
David Hawker Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will come to where he has been personally been misrepresented.
Kim Beazley Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
Aside from that, the simple fact of the matter is that I was misrepresented when she said that my position was inconsistent. I believe in the teaching of narrative history, but I also believe now that her priority should be apprenticeships—
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
3:15 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
David Hawker Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
Indeed I have been.
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
The Minister for Transport and Regional Services just implied that the basis of the questions I asked him during this week was somehow false and that I had lied.
Lindsay Tanner Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
He said ‘dishonest’.
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
He said that I was dishonest. The information contained in those questions was not only accurate but confirmed again when at seven o’clock this morning workers at Sydney airport were installing bolts to fasten a piece of timber to the floor of that plywood door which opens onto the restricted area of the airport.
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
Mr Speaker, you heard the minister at some length and for some time impugning my integrity.
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member for Brisbane will not debate the chair. The minister was adding to an answer.
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
Yes. And I am making a personal explanation.
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Brisbane is making a personal explanation. The member will show where he has been personally misrepresented.
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
I am in the process of doing that, Mr Speaker. Thank you. It was the case not only yesterday but also today as those bolts were being put in that piece of timber at seven o’clock this morning. The fence which the minister refers to is on only three sides of the hangar. The sliding door to which I referred is not the door that the minister talks about. He refers to a security fence that does not enclose the hangar.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services
3:16 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
David Hawker Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services
Yes.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services
The honourable member for Brisbane has clearly misrepresented my response to his question. The honourable member for Brisbane brought into the House a chock. I have shown him an example of the only chock that we could find, of that size. The chock that he is referring to now is this one in the article that I have here.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The level of interjection is far too high. I believe the minister has shown where he has been misrepresented. Does the minister have anything further to show where he has been personally misrepresented?
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services
Mr Speaker, it is clear that the piece of timber referred to in this article is a couple of metres long. It is not a little chock like the one the member for Brisbane brought into the House—