Page 2904 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 24 June 2009
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MR SESELJA: I will finish. I was referring to conclusions drawn by the estimates committee and the letter that had to be written on behalf of that committee which found that there were misrepresentations in what Mr Stanhope said. I think “untruthful” is a reasonable conclusion to draw from that and I do not believe it is unparliamentary.
Mr Corbell: No, it is unparliamentary.
MR SESELJA: How is it unparliamentary?
Mr Corbell: You impugned the Chief Minister and said that he was untruthful.
MR SPEAKER: Order, members!
MR SESELJA: That is what the committee said. The committee said he misrepresented.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, you have the floor.
Mr Corbell: Mr Speaker, on the point of order: if you say that the Chief Minister’s actions were untruthful, it can only mean one thing. The imputation is quite clear, that—
MR SESELJA: No, it means they are not true.
Mr Corbell: No, it means the Chief Minister lied.
MR SESELJA: Actually, no. It means they are not true.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR CORBELL: That is unparliamentary and Mr Seselja should be asked to withdraw it.
MR SPEAKER: Members, given the confusion over this matter I am going to have to review the Hansard and come back later if I feel that there is an issue. Mr Seselja, you have the floor.
MR SESELJA: To clear up any confusion, I will withdraw it for the sake of time and not going over this issue. I will withdraw it. The Chief Minister misrepresented what the estimates committee said and we had to write to actually correct the record. However Mr Corbell wants to spin that, it is disgraceful that we had to come to a conclusion, as an estimates committee, and write to external, third parties to correct the misrepresentations of the Chief Minister. And this is the pattern of behaviour.
When they get a letter they do not like or they get a letter that they hid, they get a letter that they did not want to tell anyone about before the election, but when they get sprung after the election about the contents of the letter, they impugn the integrity. There is no other way of reading what the Chief Minister said through an adviser.
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