Mr CREAN —My question is again to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. Can the minister confirm that in the nine months between March and the end of December 1996 he spent $65,318 on 50 charter flights? Now that the minister has had the opportunity to reconcile his tabled and corrected TA claims with the DAS charter, has he discovered any mistakes? Were these mistakes certified by the minister when the air charter travel was acquitted? If so, why were incorrect records acquitted? Minister, can you guarantee that you were on the charter planes on every occasion?

Mr BRUCE SCOTT —Mr Speaker, they have no idea what it is like to service a big electorate. Let me assure the opposition that my travel arrangements, my charter arrangements, were all done in good faith and in accordance with the relevant regulations and guidelines.

Mr Crean —Were you on every plane?

Mr SPEAKER —The member for Hotham!

Mr BRUCE SCOTT —I was on every plane. But what you ought to understand is that quite often a charter will return to its base when I have been dropped off at a point. That means that I cannot be on that section of that charter. That is the dead leg. That is something that you would not understand because you do not have to service an electorate that is three times the size of the state that you live in.

This is just another smear campaign. There was an attempt at that in the upper house yesterday. And I will answer one of the questions raised yesterday. This is just another smear campaign which was tried in the upper house yesterday when Senator Faulkner stood up in the Senate and said that I was in Townsville and yet I claimed in Canberra.

Let me detail that question and my answer to that smear campaign by Senator Faulkner yesterday. In relation to 17 June, I can confirm that I was in Townsville to address the Queensland RSL Congress. I flew on a commercial air service, QF 649/679, from Townsville to Canberra that evening, arriving at 8.50 p.m. I consequently spent that night in Canberra as it was a parliamentary sitting week. I was not in Townsville that evening, as the smear campaign from Senator Faulkner suggested yesterday.

Government members interjecting—

Mr SPEAKER —Order! Members on my right!

Mr CREAN —My supplementary question is this: in light of that answer—

Government members interjecting—

Mr SPEAKER —Order! Members on my right!

Mr CREAN —Calm down!

Mr SPEAKER —Order! There is too much noise in the chamber. Herewith, I issue a general warning to you all.

Mr CREAN —My supplementary, Mr Speaker, is this: are you using your ministerial charter entitlements for electorate activity?

Mr SPEAKER —The question is out of order.