Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, had I known the member for O’Connor was going to be so humorous I would have happily deferred to him. However, 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?

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An early report in the Australian online claimed that I refused to accept Labor’s mandate to abolish Work Choices. The fact is that, at a doorstop interview today, although strongly critical of the Fair Work Bill 2008, when queried by a journalist on Work Choices I said, effectively, that we had lost the election and Labor had won. Contrary to the report in the Australian online, I said that in a democracy Labor’s Work Choices mandate should be respected. The Australian online has now corrected the record.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) 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?

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deliberately and maliciously.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning on the ABC AM radio program the Minister for Finance and Deregulation alleged that I had suggested on Sunday’s Insiders program that, in some way, the government mandate that superannuation funds invest in particular infrastructure projects. That is a total misrepresentation. At no time have I talked of mandating super funds to invest in particular projects. In fact, it was obvious to anyone who was listening and watching that I was talking about the failure of COAG to urgently overhaul complex and costly regulations, as highlighted by the oil and gas industry this morning on the front page of the Financial Review.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member has highlighted that he has been misrepresented and he will resume his seat. The member cannot debate the issue. The member has now indicated where he has been misrepresented and he has corrected the misrepresentation. The member must go to where he was misrepresented and then correct the record. If he has additional remarks, they must be in that context, not by way of debate.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I raised this on the Sunday program, quite explicitly I said, ‘I’m not talking about mandating projects.’ You cannot get any clearer than that.