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A Composition of . . Page.. 1550 ..

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, will you rule on whether that is parliamentary language?

MR SPEAKER: Order! I did not quite hear the interjection, but I am sure that it was out of order. I am sure that he will withdraw it.

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Berry said, “Don't you be such a dickhead”.

MR SPEAKER: It is out of order.

MR DE DOMENICO: I require Mr Berry to withdraw that comment, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, withdraw it, if you said that.

Mr Berry: I withdraw that.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. Proceed, Mr De Domenico.

MR DE DOMENICO: Let us have a look at the Department of Foreign Affairs publication called A Composition of Trade : Australia. Total French imports to Australia in 1994 were worth $1,638m. France is our eleventh largest supplier. In 1994 the pharmaceutical products I spoke about that save people's lives - we cannot buy them, except from French companies - were worth $21m. Medical products used in our public and private hospitals were worth $63m; telecommunications products that perhaps some of us here use, $41m; passenger cars, $45m; and electrical products, $91m. The source is DFAT, not Monsieur Mignon or Jacques Chirac.

If we accept Ms Tucker's amendments the motion will include Chinese products. I do not have figures for the trade we do with China; but, if we read very carefully what the motion says, we would be prevented from dealing with companies, even Australian companies, that manufacture products in China or France. I have to tell you, Mr Berry, that that means BHP, Carlton and United Breweries, CRA, and even some ACT high-tech companies. If that is what you want, you support this motion. If that is what other people want, they can support this motion as well. We would be building a fence around the ACT. We still have not had an answer yet. Are we supposed to be banning the French language from our curricula?

Mr Berry: You got an answer, but you did not like it.

MR DE DOMENICO: No; I got an answer which was unparliamentary. But, coming from you, that is not a problem. It is better than voting for a silly motion from the next Leader of the Opposition. If you need any help with that, let us know, because we would love you to be the Leader of the Opposition. We would be in government forever. That is another story that we can debate at another time.

Mr Berry, I would like to ask another question. What if the French next year, as they have promised, stop their nuclear tests? Will we be allowed to buy the products again?

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