House debates
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Personal Explanations
3:50 pm
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) 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?
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Most grievously.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! Those on my right will come to order!
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
They are easily amused, aren’t they? They are a pathetic lot, aren’t they? This is really a joke.
Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Ms Gillard interjecting
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
This is all about softening your image, isn’t it?
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member for Sturt will not encourage them!
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
That will not be easy, Julia—at all.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member for Sturt may proceed on his personal explanation.
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Of course, I am not the Kath Day-Knight of Australian politics either, unlike the Acting Prime Minister. Good on you, Kath! Look at me! Look at me! I have got one word to say to you!
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I am sorry, Mr Speaker, for trampling on your indulgence. I apologise.
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I have, unfortunately.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Sturt will now come to his personal explanation.
Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you, Mr Speaker. In question time the Acting Prime Minister asserted that I had wrongly claimed that the statement of Senator Carr in the Senate today in relation to the Schools Assistance Bill was a significant clarification of the government’s position and satisfied the assurances the opposition were seeking. This is untrue. Senator Carr’s statement substantially clarifies the position and the role of the national curriculum. Senator Carr said that ‘the national curriculum will not mandate particular classroom practices’. There is no Hansard record of the minister saying this in the House because she has never done so.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member for Sturt will resume his seat.
3:51 pm
Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
That is a hard act to follow! 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?
Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes.
Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Yesterday in a story on The World Today Sabra Lane said that yesterday morning I had insisted that the coalition had enjoyed 10 years of consecutive budget surpluses. That was wrong. I did not make that statement. Last night on The 7.30 Report
Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
If you would just allow me to continue.
Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Last night on The 7.30 Report Michael Brissenden had me claiming yesterday morning that the former coalition government had never had a deficit. That was wrong. I did not make that statement. What I did say was that we had 10 years of budget surpluses, full stop. An examination of Budget Paper No. 1 statement 10 will show that to be a simple statement of fact.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! The member has now explained where he was misrepresented.
Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! This does remind me of last day of term, and the hymn was Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing.
Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
How long ago was that, mate?