Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. It is a specific question. The Prime Minister has been entitled to a preamble and is entitled to address what the government's policy is, and he's been doing that. I think that the difficulty, when it comes to answering questions, is that the questioner can't demand, essentially, what's a yes or a no answer. In being asked, 'Does this represent the government's policy?' the Prime Minister's entitled to say what the government's policy is. I'm listening to him very carefully, but beyond that and the specifics of the question he can't stray into other areas.

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