House debates Personal Explanations

Tuesday, 18 September 2007 House of Representatives

Peter Lindsay

Peter Lindsay Herbert, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence

3:14 pm

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

David Hawker

David Hawker Speaker

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Peter Lindsay

Peter Lindsay Herbert, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence

I do.

Peter Lindsay

Peter Lindsay Herbert, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence

In question time today the Leader of the Opposition claimed that I had said that young homebuyers ‘would sit on milk crates’. I reject this claim outright. The Prime Minister has correctly identified the outright misrepresentation by the Leader of the Opposition. I table the Hansard, which confirms I made no such statement in my own right. I demand that the Leader of the Opposition not misrepresent me or anyone else in this chamber.

David Hawker

David Hawker Speaker

Order! The member for Herbert will resume his seat.

Roger Price

Roger Price Chifley, Australian Labor Party

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. A member should confine themselves, as you have often said, to where they have been misrepresented. The member went much further than that in his personal explanation. I would ask the Speaker to apply the same rules to the government that he applies to the opposition.

David Hawker

David Hawker Speaker

The Chief Opposition Whip will not reflect on the chair. The Chief Opposition Whip would have noticed that I asked the member to resume his seat when it was obvious he was going beyond a personal explanation.