Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister)(3.51 p.m.) —Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Mr SPEAKER —Does the Prime Minister claim to have been misrepresented?

Mr HOWARD —Yes, I do.

Mr SPEAKER —Proceed.

Mr HOWARD —In the past few days, and most particularly this morning, an editorial was drawn to my attention in the Financial Review —

Mr Stephen Smith —You don't normally read it.

Mr HOWARD —No, I do not normally. It is not my first point of reference for the morning's news, but it was drawn to my attention. The comment had been made that a remark that I made in the party room last week was represented in the words of the Financial Review editorial this morning as `the Prime Minister had ruled out any attack on the abuse of trusts'. Can I say that I have done no such thing. What I have said, and I am very happy to repeat it today, is that I have assured the members of the government parties that in any taxation changes we make we will not be acting in a manner that would seriously damage, or indeed damage at all, small business. But at no stage have I said that my government would never take action against the abuse of trusts. We will always take action against abuses within the tax system.