Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I refer you to pages 484 and 485 of the House of Representatives Practice, dealing with indulgence. Set out on those pages is the long list of things for which indulgence is granted and the fact that the right to grant that indulgence is exclusively yours to give—not the House’s right, but yours. It also prescribes the areas where precedents have been set for the granting of indulgence—for instance:

… the … Leader of the Opposition to congratulate athletes representing Australia—

or:

… to ask a question of the Speaker or raise a matter for the Speaker’s consideration—

or:

… the Prime Minister to answer a question—

or:

… A Minister to correct or add to an earlier answer—

These are all very procedural matters and I put it to you, Mr Speaker, that this is not a speech on indulgence. This is a speech of a highly political character which should be dealt with in an ordinary matter of business. It is quite improper for the Prime Minister to give us this diatribe by way of indulgence.

See this speech in context