Mr NEHL (4:02 PM) —Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jenkins) —Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Mr NEHL —I do.

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER —Please proceed.

Mr NEHL —Today in question time in the other place Senator Chris Schacht asked a question of Senator Alston regarding me and my comments regarding a visit to Tibet last week. I will not take the time of the House to read the whole of the Hansard of that, but there are five specific instances where he has misrepresented me. The first:

. . . does the government agree—

with me, that is—

that the current Chinese rule is better for the Tibetan people than any alternative?

Never at any time did I make that statement or that claim. I said that things in Tibet now are better than when I visited it in 1992. The second point is that he referred to:

. . . Mr Nehl's view that the only role the Chinese army plays in Tibet is to protect the borders . . .

I never inferred that that was the only role. I tried to draw to the attention of people who were not aware that Tibet has borders with five countries, including two nuclear powers, and that the protection of their borders was a significant role for the Chinese army. The third point was:

. . . Mr Nehl has admitted that he did not speak to any Tibetan people on his visit . . .

I spoke to many Tibetan people. They were, of course, members of the TAR government or their agencies—schoolteachers and the like. I do not speak Tibetan. I do not speak Chinese. The option of wandering off and chatting with ordinary Tibetans was unfortunately not available to me. The fourth point was:

. . . he only saw what his Chinese hosts wanted him to see . . .

That is incorrect. I set the itinerary for my visit to Tibet. We went where I wanted to go. The fifth and final point is that he asked:

Will the government take Mr Nehl's report on Tibet seriously or will it be filed under `tourist snow job'?

The report I submit will be a serious, fair and objective report, not a snow job.