Personal Explanation

Murray-Darling Basin Plan

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (16:49): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

Mr WILLIAMS: During the debate—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I cannot hear what the member is saying; there is too much noise on my right.

Mr WILLIAMS: During the debate that just ensued, the member for Mawson attributed to me comments that I had made at some stage that it was not a Rolls-Royce but a Mazda, and I was happy for us to drive a Mazda. The Premier made a similar assertion just now. I have never made that comment.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: So you feel you have been misrepresented?

Mr WILLIAMS: I have been misrepresented. The comment was made by—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is all you need to say. It is on the record that you have been misrepresented. I am advised by the Clerk that that is all that has to happen.

Mr WILLIAMS: I have not finished making the explanation, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Come and speak to the Clerk.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Everyone be quiet, please. According to my advice, you have said where you have been misrepresented and you now need to sit down. If you have a problem with that, come and see the Clerk; it is his advice I am taking.

Mr GARDNER: I encourage you to have a look at the precedent set by the current Speaker I think late last year when he suggested that it should be limited to saying what the cause for the misrepresentation was and a brief explanation of why it was wrong. I believe that the member for MacKillop was, in fact, just doing that.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think you both need to come and speak to the Clerk so that the house can get on with the next item of business.