Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Public Accountability and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 26 February, Glenn Milne wrote a story about the member for Gwydir’s AWB share trading. He referred to the fact that the sale took place just prior to the release of the Volcker report, which was highly critical of AWB. In this story, the member for Gwydir denied any advance knowledge of the contents of the Volcker report and said that he had always intended to sell the shares when the price hit $5. This claim contradicted his earlier statement that, on the basis of advice from his accountant, he sold his shares in order to diversify his rural investments. But it gets worse. His claim that he intended to sell the AWB shares as soon as they reached $5—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I draw your attention to standing order 90. There is an imputation of improper motives to a member and it is disorderly.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am listening closely to the member for Wills and he is going very close to overstepping the mark. He would be well aware that the proper forms of the House are that, if he wishes to pursue this much further, he should use a substantive motion. I will allow the member for Wills to continue but I would ask him to temper his remarks.

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Public Accountability and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The member for Gwydir’s claim that he intended to sell the AWB shares as soon as they reached $5 is not supported by the facts.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wills will either rephrase that or resume his seat.

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Public Accountability and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for your ruling, Mr Speaker. If $5 was the trigger price for the sale of shares, they would have been sold on 10 March 2004, when the share price hit that point. The share price hit that point on another 30 occasions between 10 March 2004 and 5 October 2005. But this self-declared share price was ignored and the stock was held on to. The member for Gwydir also told Glenn Milne that he had not spoken to anyone about AWB Ltd and Volcker. He said:

Alexander Downer didn’t talk to me and neither did anyone else.

He then went on the ABC’s Insiders program and said—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: you have drawn the member’s attention to the standing order but he persists in making the imputation of improper motives to the member for Gwydir.

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Stephen Smith interjecting

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an imputation of an improper motive to a member. If he wishes to make the imputation, he should make it in a substantive motion to which the member for Gwydir can respond. There is a reason for these standing orders, and that is to give members to whom those—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The parliamentary secretary has raised a valid point of order. The member for Wills is well aware of the standing orders. If he wishes to pursue an imputation against the member for Gwydir, he should do so through the proper forms of the House. I call the member for Wills. I have given him a very clear indication of the rules.

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Public Accountability and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I heard your ruling and followed it. The parliamentary secretary was simply endeavouring to prevent me from saying things this parliament needs to hear and ought to be discussing. The member for Gwydir went on the ABC’s Insiders program and said:

I want to make it absolutely plain that the three senior colleagues of mine who are in the firing line at the moment over this, none of them in any way spoke to me …

But we discovered on 27 February this year that the member for Gwydir had a discussion with senior colleagues early last year about AWB, Volcker and the oil for food program. We also discovered that the member for Gwydir—

10000 SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—I think the member for Wills should be using a substantive motion on this point. I ask the member for Wills to resume his seat.