Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
3:13 pm
Speaker, I have been misrepresented most grievously and repeatedly by ministers opposite—many of them. Ministers opposite repeat this claim that the coalition has voted against the Malaysian people-swap—
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
The government—
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.
Mr Abbott interjecting—
The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat! I do not need to repeat myself three times. He needs to show where he has been misrepresented. The member for Cook was seeking the call.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition does not have the call. The member for Cook does.
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
3:14 pm
I seek leave to make a personal explanation.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
Does the member for Cook claim to have been misrepresented?
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
I do. Today the Treasurer asserted that I had voted against the Migration Legislation Amendment (Regional Processing and Other Measures) Bill 2012. I inform the House that, as a member of the opposition, I voted to approve that bill on 15 August 2012 and that bill was subsequently supported in the Senate by the coalition and it was passed on 16 August 2012. The Migration Legislation Amendment (Regional Processing and Other Measures) Bill, which was the government's bill, was introduced to this House after the High Court's decision in relation to that matter. We voted for that bill.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition was seeking the call again?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
Speaker, I simply wish to correct the misrepresentation—
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition has just seen the member for Cook speak. I did not stop him. All I said was the Leader of the Opposition needed to show where he had been misrepresented.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
The claim that I have voted against the Malaysian people swap is false. It is false and members opposite should not keep repeating it.
Ms Anna Burke Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.