Mr CREAN (2:43 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Minister, on Thursday you told the House there was `nothing untoward' about the Groom FEC, a claim you repeated again today. How can you say there was nothing untoward when we now know that you were rung on 18 December by your branch treasurer and told of the scam? Wasn't that untoward? You attended a branch meeting the next day where the scam was approved. You attended a further meeting on 20 March where the scam was again discussed. You were aware of the February accounting advice that said the scam contravened the tax act. You were aware that your branch treasurer resigned in February over the scam, and you knew Mrs Watts had written to the Treasurer about the scam. Minister—

Mr SPEAKER —The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will come to his question.

Mr CREAN —Minister, given all of this, didn't you mislead the House when you said, `I am not aware of anything untoward that has been done.'

Mr SPEAKER —The Minister for Financial Services and Regulation will exercise a great deal more restraint. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will return to his question, not to the preamble.

Mr CREAN —All right. Given all of that, Minister, didn't you mislead the House when you said, `I am not aware of anything untoward that has been done by the FEC'? Didn't you have full knowledge, didn't you cover it up and, as part of the cover-up, didn't you mislead the House?

Mr IAN MACFARLANE (Minister for Small Business) —I did not mislead the House, and I just provided in my previous answer a detailed explanation of why that is so.