Page 3485 - Week 09 - Thursday, 20 August 2009
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MR SESELJA: What was the personal reflection there, Simon?
Mr Corbell: Mr Seselja again made the claim in this place that Mr Barr fabricated an allegation in a letter to other members. That is a highly disorderly—
MR SESELJA: I did not use those words.
Mr Corbell: —and improper reflection on the conduct of Mr Barr. If the Liberal Party have a problem with the conduct of Mr Barr, they should move a substantive motion in this place.
MR SESELJA: We have given him the opportunity. Madam Assistant Speaker, this is getting ridiculous.
Mr Corbell: Madam Assistant Speaker, that is the only mechanism by which members can make such assertions in this place. Mr Seselja knows that. You should ask him to withdraw those improper personal reflections on Mr Barr’s character.
MR SESELJA: There was absolutely nothing in what I just said which was disorderly in any way. Mr Corbell is now simply wasting our time. I have taken your instructions, Madam Assistant Speaker. I have steered away from the language that you warned me about, and Mr Corbell has not made any case that I have not. I am quite entitled to argue what has been said by Mr Barr and what has actually been said by Mr Doszpot. If we cannot argue that, then what can we argue about in this place?
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, please continue. I think we have had the discussion. We need to be mindful of standing order 55. But I do warn you that we do not really want to have to come back to this again.
MR SESELJA: Thank you. We would not have to if Mr Corbell did not make these incessant interjections, which have been rejected, and I thank you for that ruling, Madam Assistant Speaker. He does not want to hear this because it is embarrassing for the government. Why wouldn’t it be? It should be embarrassing for them. It should be embarrassing that their ministerial code of conduct is being flouted in this way.
That is what this is about today. It is about the ministerial code of conduct. It sets out clear obligations. As Ms Gallagher said, these are commonsense obligations. They are obligations that we would expect of any minister and any representative. Yet Mr Barr feels that it is reasonable for him to go out there and put in writing things which are not true.
Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order.
MR SESELJA: I am allowed to make a judgement as to whether something is true. Could we stop the clock? This is just ridiculous, Madam Assistant Speaker. Just because he does not like it does not mean we cannot say it.
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