Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

About five I think. Up to 66 per cent of the time she is transgressing the four-minute rule. It was she who put in a submission to the Procedure Committee inquiry into the standing orders in the last parliament that there should be a four-minute rule. The Treasurer on the other hand, who also supports the four-minute rule, is doing much better. In 2008 he only transgressed it nine per cent of the time and in 2009 he has only transgressed it 22 per cent of the time. The Treasurer is actually doing much better in terms of his own self-imposed four-minute rule than the Minister for Education. If only he would actually answer the questions sensibly, that would be a huge improvement. He has probably answered them in such a short space of time because he does not know the answer and no answers are much shorter than longer answers; nevertheless he is doing better than the Minister for Education and much better than the Leader of the House.

Other ministers also transgressing the rule include the Minister for Finance and Deregulation at 72 per cent of the time in 2008 and 71 per cent of the time in 2009. The Prime Minister transgressed it 27 per cent of the time in 2008 and 34 per cent of the time in 2009, and the list goes on. I think, sadly, the worst offender is the Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy, who has missed the boat in a few areas but, certainly, he has missed the boat in terms of the four-minute rule. In 2008 he transgressed it 53 per cent of the time and in 2009, 89 per cent of the time. The Leader of the House might like to take him in hand a bit and then the opposition would be able to ensure that democracy is working much more effectively than the farce that question time has become under this government. That said, we support the motion moved by the Leader of the House.

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