Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday the Leader of the National Party, during the MPI debate, made a number of assertions about my personal positions. He stated:

A few days ago he was quoted as saying that fuel had to be a part of the emissions-trading scheme.

That is incorrect. What I have said is that transport has to be a part of a climate change strategy. The second misrepresentation was that the Leader of the National Party said:

But the minister stuck his boot into the little town of Lock, accused them of rorting …

That is also incorrect. I accused the ministers who presided over the Regional Partnerships program of rorting. The third misrepresentation was that the Leader of the National Party said:

This is not better regions; this is better rorts. He is the king of the rorts; the man who invented the Fort Street rort; the man who rerouted the railway line through his own electorate at a cost of $300 million.

As I have stated during question time, the Fort Street insulation program was supported in the Sydney Airport Community Forum by members of both sides of the chamber, including the now Leader of the Opposition and the member for North Sydney when he was chair of that forum. This is an important program in the budget. As for the railway—

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