House debates Personal Explanations

Thursday, 6 February 2020 House of Representatives

Brendan O'Connor

Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Industry

3:29 pm

Mr Speaker, I seek to make a personal explanation.

Tony Smith

Tony Smith Speaker

Does the member for Gorton claim to have been misrepresented?

Brendan O'Connor

Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Industry

Most grievously and bizarrely. In multiple news stories this week, including today, I have been depicted as the Leader of the Nationals and the Deputy Prime Minister of the country. Now, it's true to say my mother's a McCormack, but that's where the similarity ends! Whether it's the subconscious desire of News Ltd to raise the standard of policy and quality of leadership, I don't know! But I want to assure my constituents and, indeed, members in this place—especially the actual Deputy Prime Minister and, I guess, the member for New England—that nothing in the world would entice me to leave the great Australian Labor Party for the climate-change-denying rabble that is the Nationals.

Tony Smith

Tony Smith Speaker

I thank the member for Gorton for that. Whilst he wasn't happy, I'm sure the Deputy Prime Minister was tempted to make a personal explanation as well!