House debates Personal Explanations

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 House of Representatives

Tony Abbott

Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition

3:09 pm

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

Ms Anna Burke

Ms Anna Burke Deputy-Speaker

Does the Leader of the Opposition claim to have been misrepresented?

Tony Abbott

Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition

I do, serially in question time today—

Tony Abbott

Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition

first by the Treasurer, who claimed that I opposed a company tax cut. This is wrong. I support a company tax cut, just not one funded by the mining tax. Then I was misrepresented by the minister for education, who claimed that I had a policy to cut education funding. This is false. Our policy is to support the previous government's funding system, which provides schools with six per cent more every year. Finally, the Treasurer claimed that I would keep the carbon tax. When I say there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead, I am telling the truth.

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training

3:10 pm

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

Ms Anna Burke

Ms Anna Burke Deputy-Speaker

Does the Manager of Opposition Business claim to have been misrepresented?

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training

I do.

Ms Anna Burke

Ms Anna Burke Deputy-Speaker

The member for Sturt has the call.

Christopher Pyne

Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training

In question time today the minister for schools again misled the Australian public by claiming that I have a plan to reduce funding to schools. In fact the coalition is the only political party with a policy to increase funding to all schools by six per cent—

Ms Anna Burke

Ms Anna Burke Deputy-Speaker

The member for Sturt will resume his seat.