Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Why doesn't the member for Sydney cease interjecting?

A government member interjecting—

That's a good idea. I take the point of order. It was a specific question but, in how the minister was relating the material to it, I believe he was answering it, right until the point at which the Manager of Opposition Business jumped up. I thought the reason you were jumping up was that he was going to alternative policies, so I'm going to say to him now: you can't do that. But he's not compelled, as the Practice makes clear, to simply answer a question with 'yes' or 'no'. I know that's what the questioner would like, but that is not how our system works, and if people wanted it to work that way I'd have to change the standing orders. What he says, as the Leader of the House pointed out, is in fact being relevant and answering the question.

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