House debates

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Personal Explanations

3:12 pm

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker Burke, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | | Hansard source

I do.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | | Hansard source

Yesterday in the House the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship stated that I had taken out of context things said by his ministerial colleagues. The things that I referred to in my question said that Captain Emad, also known as Ali Al Abassi, was on the movement alert list. I refer to the statement made by the Minister for Home Affairs, and I made reference to that in the question. On 8 June 2012, the Minister for Home Affairs gave an interview with Fran Kelly and made reference to the movement alert list. The ministers would be aware that there is only watch list that is run by the government that is called the movement alert list. The Minister for Home Affairs said:

What happens is that we've got a movement alert list. And he's been on that movement alert list, like a number of people across the country, for some time.

Clearly, yesterday it was the minister who was in error, and he was seeking to contradict his own Minister for Home Affairs.

3:13 pm

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker Burke, I seek to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

Grievously and at length.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney has the call.

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

The Treasurer today quoted from one of my press releases yesterday: 'Carbon tax—another Wayne Swan lie'—which is true.

Wayne Swan is so deluded by Labor's carbon tax he can't even get his sums right—

which is true.

The Treasurer claims the carbon tax represents just a tiny fraction in the rise of electricity prices.

He said:

"Well the carbon price is only a tiny fraction of the rise in electricity prices in NSW."

I argued the case against this and said:

… except this is yet another Labor lie—

which it is—

If Wayne Swan had bothered to punch the numbers into his calculator he would have realised the price increases due to Labor’s carbon tax make up almost half of the total price rise for NSW electricity customers.

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

He has had a very good go, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Mr Hockey interjecting

You have to go to where you were personally misrepresented.

Mr Hockey interjecting

Opposition members interjecting

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney has the call, but he must demonstrate where he has been misrepresented.

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

The Treasurer quoted at length from my press release, which I am now quoting from and which corrects the record. The Treasurer said—

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney must still show where he has been misrepresented.

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

Okay. The Treasurer said, and I said:

According to the latest Consumer Price Index figures, electricity prices in Sydney have risen 66% since Federal Labor came to power.

This increase because of the carbon tax just adds further to cost of living pressures for Australian households.

So I was actually referring specifically to the increase that the Treasurer described as tiny. But my words were correct, and the Treasurer quoted me totally out of context; and it proved that it was another Wayne Swan lie.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member from North Sydney will withdraw.

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the press release 'Carbon tax—another Wayne Swan lie'.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

No, you will withdraw first.

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

I am sorry. I withdraw; and I seek to table the press release 'Carbon tax—another Wayne Swan lie'.

Government members interjecting

I am seeking to table the press release 'Carbon Tax—another Wayne Swan lie'.

Leave not granted.

3:16 pm

Photo of Alex HawkeAlex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the member for Mitchell claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Alex HawkeAlex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I have actually been misrepresented, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Photo of Alex HawkeAlex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

In question time today, the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, representing the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, read from the front page of my newsletter outlining how suburbs in my electorate had missed out on the National Broadband Network. In doing so, the minister went on to assert that this somehow implied an endorsement of government policy, when I am on the record on many occasions criticising the National Broadband Network, and this newsletter was a stunning criticism of government policy: spending $37 billion and missing every suburb in my electorate.