House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2) 51 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Personal Explanation Personal Explanation Minister's Remarks MINISTER'S REMARKS The Hon. I.F. EVANS House of Assembly Davenport The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (16:30): I seek leave to make a personal explanation. The Deputy Speaker House of Assembly The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Does the member claim to have been misrepresented? The Hon. I.F. EVANS House of Assembly The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Yes. Leave granted. The Hon. I.F. EVANS House of Assembly The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Yesterday, Madam Deputy Speaker, you invited me to make a personal explanation if I thought I had been misrepresented. You may recall that I asked you to read the Hansard to see whether, in your view, I had been misrepresented. I now take the opportunity to clarify for the record what was said yesterday, because I believe the minister misrepresented what I said. During the debate on the bill we have just passed, I said the following: I have to say that it is my experience in life that it is a person's energy, determination and attitude that actually will determine their station in life. Education plays one part in that. The minister then said, in referring to my comments, as follows: What was his line? They don't have the energy, therefore, perhaps, we should just abandon them. These people are not good enough; they don't have the energy. That is one point on which I called the minister a liar, Madam Deputy Speaker, and you made me retract. I think that in any fair reading of the Hansard I did not say that the students did not have energy, and I did not say that we should abandon them. At no stage did I make those comments. I made an observation that it is a combination of things, not just education, that helps people get to their station in life. Then there was a second issue, Madam Deputy Speaker. I made the point that: One of the approved learning programs is volunteer work and, when we get to the committee stage, I would be interested to see how volunteer work fits into this particular program. The minister said in her answer: There have been criticisms of the sorts of approved learning programs we should have with—shock, horror—they might be volunteering. There was no criticism in my contribution, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I just make the point—and I stand by the comment I made—that I believe that I was misrepresented. I have appreciated the opportunity to correct the record and, if the minister wishes to correct the record at any stage, she can do so. The Deputy Speaker House of Assembly The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member's last comments were not necessary. The member for Davenport has made his point.