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Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Page: 3772

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the House and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) (15:15): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to give a personal explanation.

The SPEAKER: Does the honourable minister claimed to have been misrepresented?

Mr ALBANESE: I do, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: The honourable member may proceed.

Mr ALBANESE: And I have been, and continue to be, on a number of occasions. In relation to the report that was referred to in the question by the member for Kooyong, the grants concerned are the Roads to Recovery money that go to every local council in Australia. They are set by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. It is no different from the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs having to disclose that there are pensioners in her electorate.

The SPEAKER: The minister will show where he has been personally misrepresented.

Mr ALBANESE: The fact is that there is local government. These were not discretionary grants and the question raised by the member for Kooyong makes assertions or imputations, as have also been raised by a number of the interjections, that there was something inappropriate. If you look at the report, it makes it very clear it was just Roads to Recovery money.