Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
3:50 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Most grievously.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Government Members:
Government members interjecting—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
They are easily amused, aren’t they? They are a pathetic lot, aren’t they? This is really a joke.
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister
Ms Gillard interjecting
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
This is all about softening your image, isn’t it?
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The member for Sturt will not encourage them!
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
That will not be easy, Julia—at all.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The member for Sturt may proceed on his personal explanation.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Of course, I am not the Kath Day-Knight of Australian politics either, unlike the Acting Prime Minister. Good on you, Kath! Look at me! Look at me! I have got one word to say to you!
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
I am sorry, Mr Speaker, for trampling on your indulgence. I apologise.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
I have, unfortunately.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The member for Sturt will now come to his personal explanation.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
Thank you, Mr Speaker. In question time the Acting Prime Minister asserted that I had wrongly claimed that the statement of Senator Carr in the Senate today in relation to the Schools Assistance Bill was a significant clarification of the government’s position and satisfied the assurances the opposition were seeking. This is untrue. Senator Carr’s statement substantially clarifies the position and the role of the national curriculum. Senator Carr said that ‘the national curriculum will not mandate particular classroom practices’. There is no Hansard record of the minister saying this in the House because she has never done so.
Andrew Southcott Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport
3:51 pm
That is a hard act to follow! Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Andrew Southcott Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport
Yes.
Andrew Southcott Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Yesterday in a story on The World Today Sabra Lane said that yesterday morning I had insisted that the coalition had enjoyed 10 years of consecutive budget surpluses. That was wrong. I did not make that statement. Last night on The 7.30 Report
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Government Members:
Government members interjecting—
Andrew Southcott Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport
If you would just allow me to continue.
Andrew Southcott Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport
Last night on The 7.30 Report Michael Brissenden had me claiming yesterday morning that the former coalition government had never had a deficit. That was wrong. I did not make that statement. What I did say was that we had 10 years of budget surpluses, full stop. An examination of Budget Paper No. 1 statement 10 will show that to be a simple statement of fact.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The member has now explained where he was misrepresented.
Andrew Southcott Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! This does remind me of last day of term, and the hymn was Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing.
Joe Hockey North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
How long ago was that, mate?