John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, while I am on my feet I wish to make a personal explanation.

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

Please proceed.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My attention has been drawn to the website of the Australian Democrats. The material I am about to refer to was extant on the website at a quarter to three this afternoon and contained, under the heading generally of ‘God and government’, the rather extraordinary statement ‘the Prime Minister says Australia is a secular country and immigrants who don’t share Christian values should leave’. I have said this is a secular country, in the sense that we observe in our politics a secular tradition, whatever our own individual beliefs may be—and I support that position very strongly—but I have never said that immigrants who do not share Christian values should leave. I ask the Democrats to take it off their website.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) 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 Treasurer claim to have been misrepresented?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

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

Please proceed.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the House this afternoon the member for Grayndler said I had made comments on 18 January this year in relation to emissions trading. That is totally and utterly false. On 18 January 2006, I gave a speech at the University of California, Los Angeles. I made no mention whatsoever of emissions trading, other than the mention of AP6—which is a non-emissions trading vehicle. The speech was on energy security. I said there were two ways to go to energy security: one was for nation states to attempt to lock up energy supplies; and the other was for open markets and the trading of energy, not emissions. There was no mention of emissions.

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, serially—on about five occasions during question time.

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

The first was by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister said that I supported a carbon tax. I oppose carbon taxes. The only way they could come in would be if nuclear power were supported. The second was by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who said I was opposed to all overseas commitment of troops. That is palpable nonsense. I support the commitment in Afghanistan, I supported the action in the Solomon Islands and I supported the action in East Timor—

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will not debate his point.

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

I only oppose stupidity. The third was by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, who suggested I was concealing our industrial relations policy. That is palpably absurd. I suppose I must speak on it two or three times a day, and I have only stuck it on 50 billboards around the country! The fourth was the suggestion by the Minister for Health and Ageing that I supported illicit drugs. I do not support illicit drugs. I support harm minimisation, in the exactly the same way he does when he gives addicts free needles.

Finally, there was misrepresentation of my position with regard to the teaching of history. What I said was that the focus has to be on maths and trades. We have got to deal with the skills issues in this nation. Thank you very much.