House debates Personal Explanations

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 House of Representatives

Darren Chester

Darren Chester Gippsland, National Party

3:52 pm

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Harry Jenkins

Harry Jenkins Speaker

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Darren Chester

Darren Chester Gippsland, National Party

Yes.

Darren Chester

Darren Chester Gippsland, National Party

The Minister for Health and Ageing, in her answer today, inferred an improper motive on my decision to cast my vote on the so-called alcopops legislation. I will carefully check the Hansard but the inference that I took was that my vote had been unduly influenced by the alcohol industry’s support during the Gippsland by-election, and I invite the minister to actually substantiate that allegation. The distillers ran their own advertising and did not mention my name or any other candidate and I had no involvement in the advertising, and I am not aware of any donation to my campaign by the alcohol industry. I do take offence to the imputation that my vote can be bought, and it is a great discredit to the minister that she has sought to typecast me in this manner.