Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I'm just pondering the issue. I take the point from the Leader of the House. Certainly, I had ruled yesterday on the issue of coalition agreements. While I'm at it, I undertook, following question time, to examine the issue again. I can inform the Manager of Opposition Business, having reviewed all the examples that are cited, my ruling is consistent with that going back to Speaker Snedden's ruling in 1978. I won't detain the House with all the rulings since then, but I couldn't find one ruling that went the other way. I have a different problem with this question. I know the Leader of the House thinks it's a backdoor attempt to try to ask about the coalition agreement. The issue that's still at hand here is it doesn't go to the minister's ministerial responsibilities. That's the difficulty I have with it.

An opposition member interjecting—

It doesn't, and that's been made very clear all the way through. All any minister can be asked about and is responsible to this House for is their ministerial responsibilities. That's my difficulty with it. For me to allow such a question, and I'm being as flexible as I can be, the only thing that would be relevant is his ministerial responsibilities, for which he's been sworn in today.

An honourable member: I couldn't agree more.

No, but whatever agreements are made or not made, the accountability is to their ministerial responsibilities in this House. I don't want to detain the House any further. I'm pretty good at it sometimes. But, really, I will just say: it's pretty clear what he's responsible for, and they're the ministerial responsibilities he was sworn in for this morning.

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