Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I would like to raise a matter of personal explanation.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member for Corio claim to have been misrepresented?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Corio may proceed.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

During question time the Minister for Defence referred to paragraph 44 of the draft ALP platform, which provided Labor's commitment to a two per cent spend on GDP. He asserted that this being contained in the draft platform indicated that I'd had a win and that the absence of this in the final platform suggested that I'd had a subsequent loss. Whilst it is true that paragraph 44 has been changed in the final platform of the ALP, paragraph 49 of the ALP platform states:

Labor is committed to achieving and maintaining spending on defence at two per cent of GDP.

So I would like to assure you, Mr Speaker, and, through you, the Minister for Defence, that the win was sustained.

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on both sides! I thank the member for Corio for correcting that. No doubt, he and the Leader of the House can discuss it on Friday.