House debates
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Personal Explanations
3:10 pm
Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Mr Mitchell interjecting—
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for McEwen is warned. Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
During his response to a ministerial statement today, the member for Grayndler made a statement that was totally false. Firstly, he implied that, as a candidate in the 2010 election campaign, I did not support the Moreton Bay rail link. Secondly, the member for Grayndler also said: 'He has now changed his mind. You can't get him away from it. He's camped out the front of it'. I want to place on record that I was not the candidate in 2010. The first time I stood as a candidate was in the 2013 election. I want to place on record that I always supported this project and the coalition government has kept its promise in relation to this.
3:11 pm
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I do indeed.
Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
In response to the ministerial statement on infrastructure today I did indeed state that the Liberal candidate for Petrie in 2010 opposed the project. He did that on ABC radio in Brisbane when Julia Gillard and I announced the project in 2010. The Liberal Party opposed it. Construction began in 2012.
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Grayndler has pointed out where he believes he has been misrepresented.
3:12 pm
Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Most grievously.
Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Today in question time the Foreign Minister said that I said on ABC radio on 4 November 2015 that the island of an Eneko, in the Marshall Islands, disappeared into the sea. That is incorrect. Listening to the original recording clearly shows that what I actually said was the island of Anebok, which is correct. The minister may well wish to check a full recording of the interview—at one minute and eight seconds in—which is publicly available on the ABC website. To be fair to the minister, there is an error in the transcript which may have led her astray. I seek to table a photo of the now submerged island of Anebok—
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Sydney will not use props, as I asked the foreign minister not to do.
Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
along with written comment from Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Tony de Brum confirming that this is tragically correct. I must say that I am very surprised that members opposite are laughing about this.
Leave not granted.