Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Members on my left! If the member for Flynn can be his normal patient self for a second, I will just address that matter, because certainly that's been the convention, and that's normally what has happened. But the Practice does state that a minister—I'll try to paraphrase—may refuse to answer a question. He or she may also transfer a question to another minister, and it's not in order to question the reasons for doing so. The Manager of Opposition Business is making a reasonable point; I think the convention will show that they don't do it halfway through. That's something the Prime Minister does. So you could transfer it at the start, but the practice of adding to the Prime Minister's answer is, I think, one we want to maintain. The Manager of Opposition Business?

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