David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

For the second consecutive question time—the first one was last Thursday—the Prime Minister quoted a tweet of mine from 9 May, but only part of it; he conveniently missed the actions that were taking place in respect of foot-and-mouth disease. Again, today, the minister for infrastructure, representing the minister for agriculture, quoted that tweet.

I refer you, Mr Speaker, as a keen student of standing orders, to standing order 68 around personal explanations. The last paragraph reads:

If a Member has given a personal explanation to correct a misrepresentation and another Member subsequently repeats the matter complained of, the Speaker may intervene.

In two consecutive question times, the same tweet was quoted, but they conveniently missed the actions that were undertaken not only by myself as then agriculture minister but also by the member for Franklin, who was in fact the shadow minister for agriculture; under the caretaker provisions it was inappropriate for me to take unilateral action. Therefore the misrepresentation—

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