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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of privilege at the earliest appropriate point I can. It relates to the Hansard record, which I wish to check this morning relating to the comments of the Leader of the House concerning his defamatory remarks about Mr Drew, the previous Mayor of Port Macquarie, when he said that he had been dismissed for corruption. He subsequently, in adding to his answer, simply said that the council had not been sacked for corruption and said nothing about Mr Drew.

This was a deliberate misleading of the House and, as such, it constitutes a contempt of the House. If one goes through the record and looks at House of Representatives Practice, there are two things we need to look at: section 49 of the Constitution, which is the basis of our privilege and, indeed, comes from the House of Commons. If you look at the House of Commons, where it has dealt with the question of contempt or the deliberate misleading of the House, the issue that was raised there was the Profumo case, which I think the member opposite has mentioned from time to time. But, more specifically, I raise the question of Mr Aldred, who was suspended from the House for two days for similarly committing a contempt of the House. It is recorded in Practice. I formally move:

That the member for Grayndler be suspended from the House for a minimum of two days for contempt of the House and for deliberately misleading the House.

Question put.