Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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?

Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

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

Please proceed.

Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night in the Senate the shadow Attorney-General asserted that I had instructed lawyers appearing on behalf of the Commonwealth to present an argument in a matter before the High Court of Australia to the effect that every decision of the Federal Magistrates Court would be invalid. In fact, the relevant matter is before the Federal Court, not the High Court. It is quite inappropriate to make comments with respect to a matter before the courts but, in terms of the point of misrepresentation, Senator Brandis's comments were a complete misconstruction of correspondence sent by the Australian Government Solicitor to lawyers representing the Federal Magistrates Court. To the contrary of that which was asserted by Senator Brandis, the relevant correspondence was directed to narrowing the issues in the proceedings and to avoid doubts concerning the constitutional validity of the Federal Magistrates Courts and its arrangements—arrangements, I might add, that were put in place by the former government.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) 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?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

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

Please proceed.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today in question time the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government made an accusation against me that, somehow, I sided with the management of Tristar and conspired to have the workers sacked. It is completely and utterly and absolutely untrue. The workers had not been paid properly and, as the workers themselves said, I actually ensured that they got their payments when the management at Tristar refused to do it. I was congratulated by the colleague who sits to his left, the now Leader of the House, for taking action to support the workers. I intervened when it had to be done, unlike the Labor Party on Qantas.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) 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?

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

Yes, by my old friends at the Sunshine Coast Daily.

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

Please proceed.

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

In an article dated 19 October 2011 headlined 'MPs already have super benefits' the Sunshine Coast Daily pointed out that a colleague on the Sunshine Coast and I were unlikely to benefit from plans to award redundancy payments to members who lose their jobs or who fail to win preselection. Then they referred to the fact that we had been in the job for a number of years and that we were under the pre-existing superannuation payout. Certainly, to that extent, the report was accurate. The final paragraph, however, said:

Mr Slipper, who fought to have the super cuts applied to existing MPs in 2004, did not return the Daily's call.

While it is correct that I certainly did not return the Daily's call, and rarely do, it is inaccurate to say that I fought to have the super cuts applied to existing MPs in 2004, because I do not believe that it is appropriate that such a reform should be made in a retrospective manner.