Page 4066 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video


MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Corbell has the floor, thank you—

Mr Seselja: They are standing orders. He has ruled on the standing orders—

MR SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, thank you.

Mr Corbell: The problem with the Liberal opposition is, if it is not their view of the world, everyone else is an idiot. That is the problem, Mr Speaker. That is the problem with that mob opposite. But we are entitled to a view as well, and we are going to express our view, and Mr Seselja is just going to have to shut up while he lets other people have a say.

Mr Speaker, there is no point of order. There is no breach of the standing orders. I would encourage you to reflect on that as you consider your ruling on the matter. If Mr Smyth wants to change the standing orders in relation to question time, that is a matter for him, but it is not something you can do unilaterally.

Mr Seselja: On the point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Hargreaves: There was no point of order.

Mr Seselja: Well, on the discussion, Mr Speaker, Mr Corbell is asking us to accept that there are no rules for questions, when there clearly are. The standing orders set them out. You have ruled, in fact, that the questions from Mr Hargreaves on several occasions have been out of order, and the question that has been put to you is: is using that as a tactic reasonable and will you therefore—as it clearly is a tactic—allow questions to be asked and, effectively, allow that out of order question not to be counted as a question? It is a very legitimate question, and Mr Corbell’s logic does not follow, because he is claiming that there are no out of order questions. Well, there are out of order questions. The question is: what is the consequence when you have ruled, as you have on several occasions, in relation to Mr Hargreaves?

Mr Corbell: There is nothing to prohibit a member asking an out of order question. If Mr Hargreaves wants to ask an out of order question he is allowed to.

MR SPEAKER: Order. Thank you.

Mr Coe: Then it is not a question.

Mr Smyth: If I just—

MR SPEAKER: I would like to explain the rule, Mr Smyth.

Mr Corbell: That is a matter for the Speaker.

Mr Seselja: That is what he is asking.

Mr Coe: And that is the point.


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video