Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) 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 minister claim to have been misrepresented?

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do.

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

Please proceed.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning, in a radio interview with the ABC, the Leader of the Opposition made a number of remarks in response to questions. In response to one question, he said:

Mr Nelson, on behalf of Mr Howard, told the Australian people last night that anybody who wants to see our troops brought home has the same interests as al-Qaeda.

He said:

Mr Nelson’s response to that legitimate desire to see Australian troops brought home is to accuse any Australian who holds those views as having the same views as terrorists, the same views of al-Qaeda.

Mr Speaker, I would like to read onto the record and then table precisely what I said, and Australians will then reflect on what the opposition leader has said. I said:

Those people, whether they be in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or in any other part of the world—people who are arguing that we withdraw from Iraq, to abandon the Iraqi people, to ignore the requests of the democratically elected Iraqi government, those who argue that we should do that before the Iraqi security forces are in a position to essentially look after their own security—we will by definition hand victory to those al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks, who see it as important.

I said:

Whatever the motives of those who are demanding that the coalition withdraw from Iraq, that is precisely what al-Qaeda and the terrorists want us to do as well—withdraw.

I table both of the transcripts. The Leader of the Opposition has diminished only one person, and that is himself.

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

Order! The minister will not debate the point.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence) 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 minister claim to have been misrepresented?

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

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

Please proceed.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In a speech in this place last evening about the magnificent and nationally significant Australian Ex-Prisoner of War Memorial in Ballarat and my recent second visit to the memorial for its third anniversary commemoration, the member for Ballarat misrepresented me on a number of occasions. In the interests of brevity, I will just refer to three, if I may. Firstly, the member for Ballarat claimed that I had made a decision:

... not to grant national status to the Australian Ex-POW Memorial.

This is untrue. I and the government have long recognised the national significance of the memorial, and had she attended the third anniversary commemorative service she would have heard this first-hand herself.

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

Order! The minister will keep to where he has been misrepresented.

Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The minister must show where he has been misrepresented. He cannot debate the point, as did the Minister for Defence.

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

The minister will continue but he will show where he has been misrepresented and not debate the point.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Secondly, the member for Ballarat claimed that I had been inaccurate in explaining the current law as it relates to the formal declaration of national memorials on national land controlled by the Commonwealth in the ACT. This is also false, and she should check the factual nature of my statements. Finally, the member for Ballarat said that I accused the POWs of simply being after the money to maintain the memorial. Again, this is completely untrue and offensive. I have never attributed such a motive to the remarkable and highly respected ex-POWs and she should show more care in her self-serving remarks.