Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
4:08 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
I do—repeatedly by the Prime Minister.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
The Prime Minister said in question time today on a number of occasions that I wanted to see higher taxes on businesses with a turnover in excess of $5 million a year. This is wrong. In fact, it is a lie—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
and it should not be said in this House.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
It is certainly a misrepresentation. I withdraw the word ‘lie’. There was a further misrepresentation. The Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy today claimed that I was uninterested in small business on the basis of the fact that there were only four references to small business in my book. He has written three books on tax; there are no references whatsoever to small business in any of his three books.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.
Bob Baldwin Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
4:10 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Bob Baldwin Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
I do.
Bob Baldwin Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
During question time today, the Prime Minister stated that I had misquoted an article from the Newcastle Herald. In fact, he then read out a headline from an article that he thought I had read from. That is not correct. The article that I have here is from the Newcastle Herald. It is dated 3 May, it is by Ian Kirkwood and the headline is, as I said, ‘40% tax on coal profits has Hunter coal companies up in arms over “blatant tax grab”‘. I seek leave to table that document to correct the record.
Leave not granted.