Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Members on my right will cease interjecting.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Mr Robert interjecting—

The Leader of the House is warned! The member for Fadden is warned! Members on both sides may wish to raise their voices, but I am not going to shout over the top of them. The Manager of Opposition Business I heard out of deference to his position. He well knows the standing orders. I am listening carefully to the question. I have a summary here with me. There was a preamble to the question, and I am not going to have the Manager of Opposition Business reflect on me with what he just said. I am really not. I have said before, many times, that if the opposition does not want to have preambles within their questions that is a matter for them, but I have decided to have free-flowing debate in this regard. I have said this many times before, and it was uncharacteristic of the Manager of Opposition Business that he was going to describe the Prime Minister's answer in that way and how I am ruling on them—I am not happy about that; I am really not. The Prime Minister is well within order given the question that has been asked. The Prime Minister has the call.

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