Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

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

Does the Leader of the Opposition claim to have been misrepresented?

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

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

Please proceed.

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was misrepresented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in his remarks as to what I have allegedly suggested in relation to improving the international climate and structure of enforcement organisations on nuclear power matters. As he would be well aware, the NPT, the non-proliferation treaty, is now fraying. He suggested in the course of his remarks that my proposition was for a nuclear suppliers group, such as has existed since 1978. It was not. It was for a suppliers and users group in order to—

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Downer interjecting

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Which is very different.

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Downer interjecting

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is not. It is for users as well and is devoted to the specific purpose of upholding and advancing the non-proliferation treaty. Secondly, he says we now only supply to signatories to the non-proliferation treaty, when all of us know that he is working very hard on getting around that in one specific case.

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

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

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

Does the parliamentary secretary claim to have been misrepresented?

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

Yes.

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

Please proceed.

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

I was misrepresented in a number of media outlets, including AAP, the Telegraph, the Australian and the Financial Review. It was attributed to me that I had said that petrol was not an issue in my electorate or that people were not complaining about petrol in my electorate. The precise transcript of my remarks is as follows:

Well, petrol is a concern everywhere. To be fair, my electorate is one of the smallest in Australia with the largest percentage of public transport commuters in Australia because it is an inner city electorate. So the impact of petrol prices would be less in Wentworth than it would be in larger outer-suburban or indeed rural or regional electorates. But petrol feeds into the cost of everything and it is a concern everywhere.

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

The member will not debate the issue. He will only explain where he has been misrepresented.

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

I have just read what I actually said.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! I remind all members that the warnings that have been given today still stand.