Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

First of all, the Manager of Opposition Business has based his point of order on the standing orders relating to questions. I am just indicating that that is the case. Therefore, it relates to the question. The question was in order. He then makes a point that he would like that to then apply to the answer. He quite correctly has understood that he cannot directly use the matters that can or cannot be contained in a question to dictate that. The suggestion is that there is a thread between the intent of the standing orders on the questions and what should be contained in the answers. House of Representatives Practice actually has a good discussion about that but has indicated that—despite, from time to time, the Procedure Committee offering comments—there has been no attempt to address the standing orders. In this case, without ruling the minister out of order, I indicate to the member for Sturt that I will listen carefully to the way in which the minister relates the material that he is producing to the question that was in order.

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