Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) 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 Manager of Opposition Business claim to have been misrepresented?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do.

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

The manager may proceed.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Yesterday, during debate on an amendment I had moved which would have demanded the government produce a new sitting calendar, the Leader of the House claimed that statements I had personally made were inaccurate by claiming that, in private meetings which I had personally attended, the government had, and I quote the Leader of the House, 'clearly explained there will be additional sitting weeks'. This statement is false. While I would normally not disclose the conduct of private meetings, given the Leader of the House has made this false statement about me to the House, I wish to confirm the following four points: (1), in the meeting with the leadership of the government on 7 May 2020 the government did not state that it would provide additional sitting weeks, but merely that it might; (2), this was to be based on an assessment that would be taken 'a couple of days' after parliament had risen, based on whether there had been an outbreak of COVID-19 as a result of these sittings; (3), given the virus has an incubation period of weeks, not days, this position was always absurd; and (4), the minister's misrepresentation of my statements also presumes the government has been forthcoming with accurate information at these meetings, which is challenged by the fact that, on issues as straightforward as whether they would be changes to JobKeeper, the government has provided information at these meetings that was proven to be false the very next day.