Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a personal explanation under standing order 190, as I claim to have been misrepresented.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday during question time, when Senator Abetz was talking about the unspeakable evil in the ISIS regime in the Middle East, I yelled out, 'and what caused this?' It was a simple question. However, it was reported in the Channel 7 national news on Thursday night that I had suggested it was the West's fault. Now—apart from the fact that that trivialises what I thought was a very important question, and something that I have thought very deeply about—that put words into my mouth. It was a misquote.

I wanted to highlight that question. If we can't answer the question: what has caused the growth in this disease of radicalisation of individuals and groups across the Middle East—what has caused this instability? If we can't answer that question now, then how can we answer the question of how we are going to prevent that from occurring in the future? It is a question that I would like to see debated. What the situation here today shows is that—although the journalist went on to say that I had gone against the golden rule of politics by 'playing politics on issues of national security'—our parliament has a role in asking important questions of the executive. It was an important question. I hope that we have the chance to debate these issues in the chamber in coming days.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Whish-Wilson.