House debates

Tuesday, 1 June 2010

Personal Explanations

3:39 pm

Photo of Wilson TuckeyWilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Wilson TuckeyWilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Grievously.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Photo of Wilson TuckeyWilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

During question time, the member for Jagajaga misrepresented me by omission by deliberately excluding my other remarks in the radio interview to which she referred, such as my celebration of the modern-day success of women such as Gail Kelly at Westpac.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Order! The member for O’Connor needs to show where he was misrepresented and not debate the question.

Photo of Wilson TuckeyWilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I am stating the facts of the misrepresentation by omission. In other words, if you leave out half the story, you tell a lie.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for O’Connor has made his point. By the way he has phrased it, he is starting to indicate that he is going to debate the question—

Photo of Wilson TuckeyWilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I am not going to debate it. I am too old for that.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

By the use of certain expressions he is widening it. Unless he has anything else to add to address his alleged misrepresentation, I will have to sit him down.

Photo of Wilson TuckeyWilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes. The member for Jagajaja omitted my reference to gene transfer in the Ablett family in the arena of human sport, and of course the circumstances where the female partner is the principal breadwinner in a family, and there is the resulting negative financial effect of parenthood that the Abbott scheme has an answer to.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for O’Connor has made his point.

3:41 pm

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

I do—

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Photo of Tony AbbottTony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

repeatedly by the Prime Minister, who is a serial offender in this matter. He claimed in parliament today that the opposition’s paid parental leave proposal involved a levy on businesses with a $5 million turnover. This is just wrong. It is absolutely wrong. It is completely wrong. It is a lie, and he should be—

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order and ask that the comment be withdrawn.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

There was nothing in the first part which I could hear. When I was speaking over the Leader of the Opposition I do not know whether anything unparliamentary was said, but I did not think so. I am not sure whether it was at the start of the contribution or at the end of the contribution.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | | Hansard source

That was not a personal explanation. We are seeing an abuse of personal explanations by those opposite. The opposition leader indicated it at the beginning of his contribution. He then went on to use unparliamentary language—

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat. As I said to him, the only thing that I heard was at the start, where there was an unnecessary addition. But, regarding the explanation, I asked the Leader of the Opposition to resume his seat because I thought that there might be trouble coming and I thought that he had had the opportunity to at least get his point on the record. There was nothing that I could hear at that point that needed to be withdrawn. Unfortunately, because there are no papers, I do not have the opportunity to review the situation.