The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer, Senator Helen Coonan, today completely rejected rehashed allegations from the Member for Werriwa, Mark Latham.
Senator Coonan said Mr Latham's pathetic attempts to breathe some life into his failed smear campaign had led him to make scurrilous, misleading and defamatory statements.
"Mr Latham either completely misunderstands the work this Government has undertaken on resolving the public liability crisis or is wilfully misrepresenting it," Senator Coonan said.
"The Ipp report was commissioned by the Commonwealth in conjunction with all State and Territory Governments.
"Of its 61 recommendations, one mentions mediation that relates to personal injury matters. The recommendations do not make arbitration and mediation compulsory for all insurance claims. That is a completely false interpretation from Mr Latham.
"Personal injury matters are heard almost exclusively by courts in State jurisdictions.
"I have already told the Parliament that my husband's company dos not even conduct personal injury matters.
"At the public liability meeting on 30 May, it was agreed as part of a comprehensive suite of measures that the Commonwealth, States and Territories would examine ways to improve procedures to encourage the resolution of claims without resort to litigation.
"Such procedures fall within the Attorney-General's portfolio.
"The Coalition Government and particularly the Attorney-General have spent six and a half years promoting the use of primary dispute resolution as an alternative to the courts.
"There are 36,000 lawyers in Australia. Presumably, Mr Latham thinks that six and half years of Government policy has been put in place for the sole benefit of the 0.006 per cent of lawyers in my immediate family. The proposition is absurd.
"Labor's allegations are like saying that a Minister for Health married to a practising doctor should not promote immunisation of children or health checks for the general population.
"If Mr Latham and his colleagues spent more time developing sensible policy and less trying to smear people's reputations they might have avoided the total shambles in which they find themselves."
"Labor's smear campaign has run into a brick wall."
"Labor is in total disarray. It is time Simon Crean showed some leadership. Any decent Leader of the Opposition would sack Mr Latham immediately.
"If Simon Crean can't control Mr Latham's erratic flights of fancy he should send him to join Carmen Lawrence on the backbench."