House debates
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Personal Explanations
3:32 pm
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Wide Bay, in a speech to the House, claimed that it was factually wrong that he allowed grapes in from California. The member attended a meeting—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member must show where he has been personally misrepresented.
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I am explaining, Mr Speaker, with all due respect. The Bulletin magazine is available for him to have a look at, and it actually said that at that time.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member must explain where he has been misrepresented.
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
He said I was factually wrong. What I am saying is that the Bulletin magazine will prove that I am factually correct. Next, he claimed that I said that it was the High Court when it was the Federal Court. I refer him to the High Court of Australia, transcript No. 959, 18 November 2005—which is a High Court document. He further said that the High Court did not say that and that the Federal Court did not say that. I must read the actual extract from the transcript of the case.
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, with all due respect, there are serious issues being raised.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member may continue and should not debate but explain where he has been personally misrepresented.
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
That is correct, because he said I was incorrect in saying that the pork decision backed him up. This is an actual extract from the judgement in the case: ‘The primary judge erred in applying a requirement for hard scientific data.’ In other words, there was no requirement for hard scientific data.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member cannot debate the issue.
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
There is no debate, Mr Speaker. I am simply pointing out that that was said, and there are the facts in the document.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Are there any further misrepresentations?
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes, there are another two. He said there was no connection between himself and the citrus canker—I quote from the Australian newspaper. The headline is ‘Citrus bug firm ‘link’ to minister’, and I quote from the Courier-Mail newspaper—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Kennedy will resume his seat. I call the Leader of the Nationals.
Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, this is an appalling abuse of personal explanations. The member spent his entire speech time criticising me. I responded in a speech to the chamber. I think that would be a more appropriate way for him to respond if he is determined to go on like this.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Kennedy is, I hope, winding up his statement.
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member can take it up with the Australian newspaper and the Courier-Mail. I was quoting them. Finally, he claimed that I was incorrect on the suicide statistics. With all due respect, I did not think that this issue would be, or should have been, questioned in this place—
Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
but since it has been, I must assert for everybody in this parliament—this is a quote from the CEO of beyondblue, Leonie Young—the most recent figures from beyondblue. The most recent figures show that ‘in Australia approximately one male farmer dies from suicide every four days’. I am not going to go into more depth about it. I am simply going to put that into the House record again.
3:36 pm
Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the member claim to have been misrepresented?
Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Today the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government claimed in parliament that I was a shareholder in Keith Seeds. My letter to the previous minister—and the public record—clearly shows that I was informing him that I had previously sold those shares to avoid any possible conflict of interest. Since being a member of parliament, I have never attended a shareholder meeting of that company or sent a representative or, indeed, received a dividend, because they are not those types of shares. Is this the grubby sort of behaviour—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member will resume his seat.
Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There was considerable latitude given to the member for Kennedy on a personal explanation and in that situation the member for Barker was giving a very direct response to a serious allegation—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member for North Sydney will resume his seat. I am not going to give latitude to members who, after making their personal explanation, then start to use terminology like ‘grubby government’. I really do not think you can compare that with trying to control the member for Kennedy. They are two different matters. Quite frankly, I am appalled that that point of order was made.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, on the point of order: the member for Barker made a slur across the chamber at something that is in an Australian National Audit Office report.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat. I think we have dealt with it by the member for Barker cooperating by sitting down when he was extending his indulgence a bit too far.
3:39 pm
Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I do.
Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yesterday in question time the Prime Minister held up a letter from the Emerald Shire Council. I will quote the Hansard. He said it was ‘addressed to you know who: it is the member for Flinders’, so he clearly stated that it was addressed to me. A little investigation has revealed no such letter was addressed to me. The letter he held in his hand, which he had before him at the time, was clearly addressed to the minister for the environment. The statement was false, given that he had the very letter in his hand.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
You were the parliamentary secretary!
Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
No, no. This was the letter from this week which he had in his hands.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member for Flinders has the call. Ignore the interjections, Member for Flinders.
Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
He also made a statement that there had been no correspondence in relation to the issue over the last three years. I seek to table a letter from 29 January 2007 precisely in relation to this issue from me to the member for Maranoa, Bruce Scott.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Is leave granted? Leave is not granted.
3:40 pm
Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
In the chamber today the member for Paterson claimed, and I am referring to his green, that he was called on to secure the funding for the PET scanner Medicare licence at the Mater Hospital ‘because the Labor member for Newcastle had failed to adequately represent her community’. He claims he ‘fought and lobbied for the funding from the coalition government and secured $2 million as a priority’. The facts are that it was not until Labor’s commitment of 7 September last year to fund the Medicare licence for the PET scanner that Mr Baldwin and his government were shamed into a similar pledge on 21 September. The reality is that—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The honourable member has explained where she has been misrepresented. She will resume—
Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, there is an important point. The Rudd government has actually put in $3½ million—
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The honourable member is debating the point. The honourable member will resume her seat.