The Age

The Federal Opposition's bid to censure Prime Minister John Howard today over his role in the children overboard scandal, accusing him of covering up the truth in the matter, failed along party lines.

Independents Tony Windsor and Peter Andren voted with the opposition.

Opposition Leader Simon Crean moved that Mr Howard be censured for not ensuring key elements of the ministerial code of responsibility were upheld in the period leading up to the federal election last year.

"In particular that ministers must be honest in their dealings," he said.

Mr Crean said Mr Howard should be censured for his failure to make inquiries into allegations children may not have been thrown into the sea and the misrepresentation of photographs released by then defence minister Peter Reith.

"And his and his government's repeated efforts to cover up the facts surrounding the allegation of children being thrown overboard...on the 7th October, 2001," Mr Crean said.

"This is a sad day for the parliament. It's a sad day for the people of Australia and it's a sad day for you prime minister."

Mr Crean said Mr Howard had abused the trust Australians had put in him.

"Yours is a government which has lied, spied and denied," he said.

Two reports have found that no children were thrown overboard from a fishing boat with more than 200 asylum seekers, despite the government claims they had been deliberately thrown into the sea.

Mr Crean said it was difficult to believe Mr Howard was not informed of doubts over the issue, when the prime minister's department had been informed.

"It's either incompetence or dishonesty," he said. "Either way, the government's credibility is in tatters."

Mr Howard denied he had lied about his knowledge of the incident.

He said his original comments were based on advice to the government, and he was given no indication that the advice was wrong.

Mr Howard said there was great confusion within the Defence Department about what had happened when the fishing boat was approached by the HMAS Adelaide in October.

"The original advice was unambiguously given," Mr Howard told parliament.

"At no stage was I given any advice by ministers, by colleagues, by my department or by other officials, that that original advice was wrong.

"In those circumstances, the allegation that I lied to the Australian community falls over completely. It has no substance."

He said Mr Crean was looking for an excuse to explain Labor's election loss.

AAP