Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. To the point of order, the implications of this ruling are huge. What the Leader of the House is effectively saying—

Government members interjecting—

Careful what you wish for. Just listen to this.What the Leader of the House is saying is that when there is a trade deal, only the minister representing the minister for trade will be allowed to answer the question. Where there is something resulting from an international agreement, only the minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs will be allowed to make a response. And there are all the answers that we have previously had on the relevance of a trade agreement, from the minister for education, the minister for agriculture and all the other people who come with a stakeholder interest, even though they don't have policy carriage. If that is all going to be ruled out—that's what the Leader of the House is asking for—I am recommending that the wiser course is to allow the question to stand.

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