Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday the member for Cook said in the chamber that I had engaged in a 'blatant falsehood' by saying that he had said the infrastructure costs on Nauru would be $10 million. I table a document which shows the five separate occasions on which the member for Cook said exactly that publicly.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-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

Yes.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister for schools continues to claim that I want to sack one in seven teachers. I would point out to the House that the Commonwealth government does not employ any teachers in government or non-government schools—they are employed by the states—so that is a patently false statement.