Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to make a personal explanation.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the member for Dickson claim to have been misrepresented?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I do.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dickson has the call.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In an article in the AFR this morning the journalist stated the coalition had announced a policy to privatise Medicare, which is, of course, completely false. Clearly, the reference was to privatise Medibank and, when contacted this morning, the journalist admitted the error and immediately corrected the online version of the story—for which I am grateful.

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek to make a personal explanation.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the member for Boothby claim to have been misrepresented?

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I do.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member has the call.

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In response to his question, the Assistant Treasurer used a quote of mine from 1998—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Boothby will resume his seat. He needs to show where he has been misrepresented. I am finding it hard to see how he would be misrepresented from a quote from Hansard.

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, it is very simple. The Assistant Treasurer went from that quote to assert the opposition had in mind—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Boothby will resume his seat.

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a whole lot of things that—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Boothby will resume his seat!