Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

No. A final time sounds good—inviting!—but I'll just finish what I'm saying if that's okay. If he's really saying that that is how he wants that interpreted, and he wants to ignore how it's been interpreted by governments of both political persuasions over a long period—

Mr Simmonds interjecting—

The member for Ryan! As you can see, more copies are coming in. If he's really saying he wants that standing order to be interpreted so that if there is one copy fewer than the number of members seeking it, at any point on the clock, and therefore he wants me to interpret it that way, for me to give consideration to that would be for me to give consideration to enforcing every standing order, particularly those that would apply to the opposition, in the strictest possible sense. What I'm suggesting now is: you've made your point; there are more coming in, and more will continue to come in. I don't suspect this is the last procedural issue we'll confront today. I'm going to call the minister, and I'm going to hear him without interjection.

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