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

Yes, by the Prime Minister just then.

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

Two points: firstly, I provided the Prime Minister with the information that I had; secondly, the Office of Workplace Services contacted my office asking me to provide them with contact details of Mr Denning. I said to the Office of Workplace Services through my office that I would inform Mr Denning of the contact officer for the Office of Workplace Services and that it would be a matter for Mr Denning to contact them if he so chose.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right! The member for Perth has the call!

Cameron Thompson (Blair, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Cameron Thompson interjecting

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

The member for Blair is warned too! I call the member for Perth.

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

I do not hand out personal details of people without their permission. And I do not mislead the House, unlike you!

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

The member for Perth will resume his seat.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Under the standing orders, the member for Perth has made an imputation of bad faith against the Prime Minister and it should be withdrawn.

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

I did not catch that, but if the member for Perth has made such a comment it would help the House if he withdrew that last statement.

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

Mr Speaker, I used exactly the same expression in respect of the Prime Minister that he used in respect of me.

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

Did the member for Perth say that the Prime Minister had misled the House?

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

I said exactly what the Prime Minister said in respect of me. I did not use the word deliberately and I think the Prime Minister is happy to leave it there.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He clearly accused the Prime Minister of misleading the House in a way which was offensive as well as contrary to the forms of the parliament, and he should withdraw it.

Bob McMullan (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on two points of order with regard to the matter which the Leader of the House has raised. Firstly, all House of Representatives practice and the standing orders make it clear that you are not entitled to say someone deliberately misled, but people regularly say in this House that people have misled the House and no-one has ever been required to withdraw it. It would be a dangerous precedent if you were to say so. Secondly, given the exchange between the Prime Minister and the member for Perth, can I draw your attention to page 164 of House of Representatives Practice, which says the Speaker:

… should give the same reprimand for the same offence whether the Member is of the Government or the Opposition.

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

The member for Fraser will resume his seat; he is reflecting on the chair. The chair has not ruled. If the member for Perth did not use the word deliberately—

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

I did not use the word deliberately.

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

then I will take it no further.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) 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?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On two occasions in question time today.

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

Please proceed.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In question time today, the Minister for Health and Ageing claimed that I am anti the private sector.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right! The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The Manager of Opposition Business has just begun to give a personal explanation. I have yet to hear what it is.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop interjecting

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat and I will hear the Manager of Opposition Business and rule if she is not giving a personal explanation.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop interjecting

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In question time today the minister for health claimed that I am anti the private health sector. This claim is absurd, and I seek leave to table my Earle Page memorial lecture which details my plans to use private health—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume her seat.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Manager of Opposition Business has indicated her intention to debate something that took place in question time. That is totally against the standing orders and is not a proper use of a personal explanation. The standing orders are very clear on the point.

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The Manager of Opposition Business is well aware that, if she seeks to make a personal explanation, she must show where she personally has been misrepresented.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am dealing with matters which were over the dispatch box and directly about the member for Lalor. How could they not be matters that are about me? I have dealt with the first of them, and I have asked for leave to table this speech, which details my plans to use private sector capacity for public needs.

Leave granted.

Thank you. On the second occasion, the minister for health in question time today accused me of misleading people about the government’s plans to privatise Medicare. To answer this claim, I seek leave to table a press release from the federal member for O’Connor, Mr Wilson Tuckey, headed ‘Privatise Medicare and public hospitals’, in which he outlines the government’s plans to privatise Medicare.

Leave granted.

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

It was by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations during question time today. In response to a question about the Cowra abattoir, the minister suggested that I had quoted selectively from the administrator’s report by referring to what I described as ‘questionable transfers of money’. I refer to page 12 of the administrator’s report in respect of those matters. The administrator says that ‘our inquiry as to the nature of the loan accounts continue’, and on page 16 the report says:

We will lodge a report with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, together with our further comments, detailing the results of our investigations together with possible offences, which may have been committed by company officers.

I think that justifies the use of the word ‘questionable’.