Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In question time yesterday the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, asserted that the identity of a witness who spoke to Labor’s IR task force—that I chair—at a public meeting was misrepresented in our interim report. Mr Andrews asserted that, at the time of Mr Reno Lia appearing before the task force, he was an official of the Electrical Trades Union. This is untrue. On the day in question, Mr Lia was an electrical worker and an under-13s soccer coach, and his statement to the task force focused on his difficulty as a parent in balancing work and voluntary sporting activities. In May, Mr Lia was appointed as an official of the ETU. Mr Lia remains a coach. At no time did the minister refute any of the assertions made by those witnesses he attempted to malign.