Mr O'CONNOR (3:06 PM) —Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Mr SPEAKER —Does the member for Corio claim to have been misrepresented?

Mr O'CONNOR —Most grievously.

Mr SPEAKER —Please proceed.

Mr O'CONNOR —In a press release issued by the member for Eden-Monaro on Wednesday, 29 September 1999, the member claimed in relation to the dairy industry and the accusation that the ALP had engaged in scare tactics:

This is in stark contrast to Labor's Gavan O'Connor, who is only now running around my electorate in an unprincipled attempt to scare dairy farmers, Mr Nairn concluded.

Mr Speaker, I did visit the Eden-Monaro electorate before the New South Wales election. I have had consultations with concerned dairy farmers in Eden-Monaro about the state of the dairy industry and I have had consultations with the Labor candidate for Eden- Monaro before the last election, but I have not been to the member's electorate recently on this matter.