Grant Chapman (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a personal explanation as I claim to have been misrepresented.

Leave granted.

In question time, I asked a question and a supplementary question to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. In asking the supplementary question, I referred to comments by the minister on 6 June that the emissions-trading scheme will have ‘maximal coverage’. In her answer, the minister took issue with that and claimed that I was in error and that this statement had been made on 6 February. I refer to a speech by the minister at the CEDA State of the Nation conference in Canberra on Friday, 6 June 2008, in which the minister said, among other things:

However, I have made it clear that in designing the ETS, the Government is applying certain principles. To summarise, it will—

and there are about half-a-dozen principles listed, one of which is—

• have maximal coverage of greenhouse gases and sectors to the extent that is practical …

Quite clearly, the minister made a false accusation against me and misrepresented my question.