Stuart Robert Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence
3:14 pm
Madam Speaker, I seek leave to make a personal explanation.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Stuart Robert Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence
I do, most egregiously, once again.
Stuart Robert Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence
This morning in the Senate, Senator Conroy, referring to my meeting with Mr Dagger about the change.org petition, made the statement: 'The Assistant Minister for Defence was so dismissive of this petition he said "it was not as big as others in support of beer and aspirins,"'
What I actually told Mr Dagger was that the two largest petitions in history have been for GST on beer and for non-pharmaceuticals in Coles and Woolies.
It just goes to show that petitions make a difference. They are important to the Australian people and I encourage them to continue to use them.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: the opposition notes that the article in ?Rear Window today must have been correct.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
There is no point of order. That is abuse of a point of order, and you know it.