Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

It would have been better if I had not moved the motion in the terms that I originally did. But, Mr Speaker, it would also have been better if the member for Wills had not, in my opinion, abused the forms of the House by making a speech in the guise of a motion. It would have been better if the Leader of the Opposition had not sicked the member for Wills on this baseless vendetta against an honourable man, the member for Gwydir. It would have been better if the member for Wills had accepted the repeated public statements of the member for Gwydir on this issue. So there are many things that could have been done differently. Of course things would have been better if things had happened differently, but the fact of the matter is that both of the premises on which the Leader of the Opposition based his remarks are false. Mr Speaker, you have conducted the House with an exemplary level of even-handedness and no improper motion was put and carried by this House. All of us are in favour of higher parliamentary standards.

The kind of barracking that we are currently hearing from members opposite indicates, shall I say, some want of good faith in the question that has been moved. But the truth is that, in our better moments as our best selves, all of us would like this place to be better conducted. Sometimes in the heat of the moment and sometimes in pursuit of political argument all of us go too far. I am certainly prepared to accept that, from time to time, I do, but there would not be a member of either frontbench who has not sometimes done more and said more than should have been said. Mr Speaker, I certainly think that, as far as I am concerned, amends were made as best I could, unprompted and unadmonished by you, by my complete withdrawal subsequent to the votes on Thursday.

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