Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat. Without need for prompting from the Leader of the House, I simply say to him that I have noted the behaviour. In particular I have noted an expression that, I just informed the member for Sturt, has been open to other interpretations by people that have contacted me from outside. The interpretation of the expression that is being used—which I do not think is the intention of the member for Sturt—has brought the House into a bit less repute, but I have been charitable in saying that there is no intention of the member for Sturt to have any other connotation to his expression. It would just help if he could be silent for at least 45 seconds. That is the length of the question. To think that he could be quiet for four minutes, the length of an answer, perhaps is going beyond the expectations of anybody in this place, but his performance in the first answer—and that of a number of his colleagues; he was not alone—was below the standard expected, especially by people that view us from outside.

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