House debates
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Personal Explanations
3:41 pm
Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I do.
Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The Prime Minister in question time asserted that this parliament has confidence in the Treasurer. I do not, and neither does anyone on this side.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes, I do.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I was misrepresented in two editions of the Australian Financial Review, which referred to claims that arising from the review of shipping the government will guarantee 80 per cent of market share for Australian shippers and their crews. I am not aware of where the figure of 80 per cent comes from. What I said was:
This review will be about boosting Australia’s international competitiveness and finding ways to increase coastal shipping’s share of the domestic freight market.
That is quite clearly the share of the market between shipping, rail and road.
3:42 pm
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes.
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation today in question time said that I had said that inflation was a fairytale. That is not correct. What I have said is that inflation is too serious a challenge to be trivialised by the Treasurer’s fairytales and falsehoods about our economic history.
3:43 pm
Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I do, on two occasions.
Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Both arise from an answer to a question in the chamber yesterday. A report by Jessica Irvine in the Sydney Morning Herald today states that I said another interest rate rise was ‘well and truly in the pipeline’. In fact, if you look at the Hansard you will see that the term ‘another one well and truly in the pipeline’ is clearly a reference to the rate rise that occurred on 5 February. So there is no speculation about any prospective rate rise but clearly a reference to a rate rise that has already occurred. Secondly—and equally, I believe, innocently, but nonetheless important to correct—in the Canberra Times in an article by Andrew Fraser there is a reference to statements I made with regard to government advertising spending. I stated that it had increased, and it stated in the article:
From $95 million in 2006, the previous administration had spent $368 million in 2007 ...
In fact the $95 million baseline was 2002, not 2006.
3:44 pm
Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I do.
Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
In question time today the Minister for Health and Ageing claimed that while I was the minister not a dollar or a cent had been spent on Indigenous dental programs. Let me point out to the minister that there are numerous Indigenous health services which provide dental services, and these are funded by the federal government to the tune of many millions of dollars.
3:45 pm
Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes.
Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
By the Prime Minister in question time when he said that the Investing in Our Schools Program had ended. The former minister and now Deputy Leader of the Opposition announced it would continue in this House in September—
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, I rise on a point of order: that was an abuse as we have seen on a range of issues with regard to points of order or personal explanations today.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! It may have been an abuse, but I could not hear it for the hubbub. The member for Casey knows that he has to go to where he has been personally misrepresented and just correct the record without debating.
Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I am simply correcting the record.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! He must go to where he has personally been misrepresented.
Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
By the Prime Minister when he said in answer to my question that the Investing in Our Schools Program had ended. The former minister announced it was continuing.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! I think that that is now the end of the matter. Nobody has the call.
Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Yesterday you said that if we wanted to raise points of order in relation to abuse or other matters we should do it at the time. Why raise this point of order? Standing order 68 in relation to personal explanations says:
A Member may explain how he or she has been misrepresented or explain another matter of a personal nature ...
Matters in relation to personal explanations are in relation to the person themselves, not what the member for Casey has just said and not what the Leader of the Opposition raised. Mr Speaker, I believe it is incumbent upon you to impress upon members not to abuse standing orders and, if they do, to take action.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The honourable member for Banks will resume his seat. Fact 1: the member for Casey was sat down. It is all over red rover. I just indicate, whilst I have not used the expression, that whether we like it or not the practice of the House has been to give both leaders—the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition—a bit of slack and leniency. I can say to you that, throughout today’s proceedings, both have had that given to them. The dogs have barked; the caravan is moving on.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I hope that is not a reflection, Mr Speaker!