Angus Taylor Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
3:16 pm
Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Milton Dick Speaker
Does the Leader of the Opposition claim to have been misrepresented?
Angus Taylor Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
I do seek leave to make a personal explanation.
Angus Taylor Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
In question time today, the Treasurer stated that the coalition's proposal to provide urgent fuel excise relief to Australians did not include a reduction in the heavy vehicle road user charge.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House
A point of order—
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House
Mr Speaker, this standing order can only be used where you are personally misrepresented. What has just been described is a party position. It's not—
No—please. The Leader of the Opposition is not describing anything where he was personally referenced. Unless he is personally referenced in what was said in parliament, the standing order for a personal explanation is not activated.
Milton Dick Speaker
We had this issue with members of the crossbench, the member, the week before last. I'll give everyone a fair go. We'll invite the Leader of the Opposition to explain to the House, because the standing order does intersect with: when someone, an individual—not the party or the coalition—has been mentioned. Otherwise, we would be here, as we indicated to members of the crossbench, all day, if we did this. So, if the leader can explain to the House where he has been personally misrepresented—because that's the key: personal representation.
Angus Taylor Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
Correct, Mr Speaker, and the Treasurer stated that our proposal, written in my letter to the Prime Minister—my personal letter to the Prime Minister—to provide an urgent fuel excise relief to Australians, did not include a reduction in the heavy vehicle road user charge. This statement by the Treasurer is incorrect. In the letter I wrote to the Prime Minister—I personally wrote to the Prime Minister last week—I outlined our proposal to slash the road user charge. I seek leave to table my letter—my personal letter—to the Prime Minister, which will show the lengths this government will go to, to mislead Australians on their fuel security failures.
Leave not granted.
Opposition members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Alright. The leader has taken his personal explanation, as he is entitled to do—a little on the edges there, but we got there in the end.