Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do. It is difficult to confine myself to the three that I have got here, because the health minister continues to misrepresent so grievously. But I will confine myself to three.

The first is yesterday in question time, the Minister for Health said I took health services away from the Australian people during my time as health minister. In fact, I increased front-line services. The minister also said that over half the GP superclinics announced by the former government were never delivered. In fact, that is wrong; around 80 per cent of GP superclinics were fully operational, delivering early services or under construction and over three million services were delivered to patients

The minister yesterday referred to the Sorrell GP superclinic, saying that 'plans were bad for patients'. In fact, three GP and primary care services were upgraded or set up with that money, spreading the benefit of the $2 million invested. The minister today spoke about the Karratha GP superclinic. The Karratha GP superclinic has been offering early services since 2 May 2012. It says so on your website.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on both sides.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister also said the former government 'spent $1 billion on the failed eHealth program'. The money spent was nowhere near $1 billion, and 1.4 million Australians now have a personally controlled eHealth record.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is too much noise in the House!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to make a personal explanation.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has the call.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. In the Courier Mail on 6 March, in an article by James McCulloch, it says, 'After the Manus Island riots, immigration minister, Scott Morrison, sent a RAAF VIP jet'—presumably a luxury 737—to collect Rimbink Pato, the foreign minister, from Port Moresby to meet with him and foreign minister, Julie Bishop'—presumably in Australia.

Madam Speaker, I can confirm that that is completely false. Last Saturday I flew, not on the BBJ but on the Challenger, from Darwin to Port Moresby to hold meetings with both the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration and the Attorney-General of Papua New Guinea. That meeting was held in Port Moresby, and I am grateful to the Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister, Minister Pato, because he had adjusted his meeting schedule to enable me to do that.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have made your point.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am getting to the point, Madam Speaker.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Look, the member will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know how this is terribly controversial.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence! The minister will resume his seat. I will say to both sides of parliament: this question of personal explanations is getting close to being misused. It is not an opportunity to debate the issue; it is to simply and succinctly state where you believe you were misrepresented, and to state clearly and succinctly why it is not so. The minister has the call and will move to conclude his statement.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will seek to do so, Madam Speaker. Mr Pato accompanied me back from Port Moresby to Sydney because he had adjusted his schedule to have the meetings with me in Port Moresby, and I was pleased to provide that support to Mr Pato because it enabled us to further discuss the matters we had discussed that morning.