Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I hesitate to take up additional time, but if Senator Joyce was being accurate he would have reflected that the difference between the opposition amendment that I moved from sheet 5028 and that which was moved in a later prepared sheet—sheet 5038 revised—is identical in clauses 1 through to 6 but that we had a seventh clause which deals with a different matter. If Senator Joyce recalls, what I said was that we are identical on those matters and we inserted a provision in relation to the monitoring of prices. If Senator Joyce wants to hear what he wants to hear and try and make an argument from what he wants to hear, that is fine. I am satisfied, having put that on the record, that the amendments are identical to that extent and that is what I reflected—which was that our amendment in that respect was about the protection of small business and competition. That is all that I was attempting to put on the record. I will not be misrepresented. Frankly I do not think that it does any credit to have addressed the matter in the way that Senator Joyce did.