House debates

Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Personal Explanations

3:16 pm

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | | Hansard source

I wish to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the member for Dickson claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes, I do.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Dickson has the call.

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | | Hansard source

In an article in the AFR this morning the journalist stated the coalition had announced a policy to privatise Medicare, which is, of course, completely false. Clearly, the reference was to privatise Medibank and, when contacted this morning, the journalist admitted the error and immediately corrected the online version of the story—for which I am grateful.

Photo of Andrew SouthcottAndrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | | Hansard source

I seek to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the member for Boothby claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Andrew SouthcottAndrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes, I do.

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member has the call.

Photo of Andrew SouthcottAndrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | | Hansard source

In response to his question, the Assistant Treasurer used a quote of mine from 1998—

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Boothby will resume his seat. He needs to show where he has been misrepresented. I am finding it hard to see how he would be misrepresented from a quote from Hansard.

Photo of Andrew SouthcottAndrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | | Hansard source

Speaker, it is very simple. The Assistant Treasurer went from that quote to assert the opposition had in mind—

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Boothby will resume his seat.

Photo of Andrew SouthcottAndrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | | Hansard source

a whole lot of things that—

Photo of Ms Anna BurkeMs Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Boothby will resume his seat!