Page 1083 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 6 May 2014
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was none of that. But, again, it is used in this nasty way to portray this scheming minister that is off to do the worst thing and lie and all the rest of it. It is absolutely the opposite of the man that I work with and have worked with for many years. A more honest person with integrity you will not find. I work with him, Jeremy. I do not expect you to hold him with the same high regard that I hold him.
In relation to the comments that he made alluding to minutes—and there has been no sighting of the minutes; I do not even know if the minutes are able to be sighted now—nobody has seen them. I do not even know if the committee has seen them and signed them off. Who knows? Mr Gentleman made it clear in his introduction that minutes were being tabled, that he tabled those with the statement that he provided and that had a link to an online connection.
You can see how this mistake by Mr Corbell was made. The only thing we got out of the committee this morning, before the motion was moved, was one page with an online link to the necessary transcripts of proceedings, submissions and whatever that you found there. I do not even know; I have not had time to get on the link. So you can see how, with one paper in front of you and Mr Smyth heckling, as he always does, one could reasonably assume, as Mr Gentleman had tabled a statement relating to the committee’s deliberations and a copy of the extract of the relevant minutes, that those two would be online.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Make your own conspiracy theories, but this is what happened this morning. It is not as exciting as you would have it believed, but it is what happened. We had a discussion about how the committees are working, or not working. We wanted to get a copy of the report, so we resolved to move a motion. Minister Corbell, as manager of government business, leads that charge for the government. He made a mistake and, in line with the ministers’ code of conduct—a part that Mr Hanson did not read:
Ministers must not wilfully mislead the parliament. If an error is identified a minister must correct the public record at the earliest opportunity.
That is exactly what Minister Corbell did this morning. It is not as exciting and it is not going to be attractive to the conspiracy theorists, but that is what happened this morning. A mistake was made and a mistake was corrected.
Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker, I seek leave to speak again.
MADAM SPEAKER: Is leave granted? If you do that, you close the debate, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: No, I am not closing the debate. I am seeking leave to speak again.
Mr Corbell: If you speak again, you close the debate.
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