Personal Explanation

MINISTER'S REMARKS

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:11): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

Mr WILLIAMS: Today in question time the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade claimed that I had stated that the state would be better served by investing money in a port to service the mining sector rather than in Holden's. What I in fact said on public radio was that without a cost-benefit analysis it was not possible to judge whether it would be more prudent to invest in Holden's or some other endeavour, such as a port to service the mining industry.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Point of order: that is an interesting personal explanation, but the imputation made on the record in Hansard was that the minister had misled the house, and that is an imputation that may only be made by substantive motion. I therefore put it to you that it is your bounden duty to ask the member for MacKillop to withdraw that imputation.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Croydon. I will look at the Hansard.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, to save you any trouble, I withdraw my statement that the minister misled the house. I am quite satisfied with the personal explanation that I have made.