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

Madam Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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

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

Yes, on numerous occasions and most grievously.

Ms King interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat is warned! The Leader of the Opposition, please proceed.

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

In parliament today the minister for climate change accused me and the coalition of wanting to cut $1.5 billion from the car industry. This is a completely fanciful claim. We have committed $1 billion to the Automotive Transformation Scheme over the forward estimates, and it is actually the government which has cut $1.4 billion from the car industry since 2008. Furthermore—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member needs to show where he has been misrepresented.

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

Indeed, Madam Speaker. The minister for climate change also claimed that I was somehow against asbestos victims. From memory, as health minister I committed $5 million to a special centre to research asbestos-related diseases. Finally, the Minister for Employment Participation accused me and the coalition of cutting childcare funding. This is completely wrong. In fact, it is the current government which has slashed the childcare rebate by some $600 over the most recent period.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister for schools has again today repeated the falsehood that I have claimed I would want to sack one in seven schoolteachers. I would point out that that is an utterly false statement. Because the Commonwealth does not employ schoolteachers, I have never said any such thing. In fact, the minister for schools is a fantabulist on that subject. Secondly, the minister for schools suggested that I want to preside over cuts to the education portfolio. That is entirely false. In fact, the coalition is the only party with a promise to increase funding to all schools across Australia. It is the government that has $3.9 billion of education cuts in MYEFO.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table the Australian Financial Review article 'Christopher Pyne's school lunch', of 11 August 2012, in which the shadow minister speculates on managing teachers out of the education system.