Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the standing orders of this parliament are sacrosanct. We need to make sure the integrity of our Westminster system is upheld, and the requirement to do so falls squarely upon your shoulders. You are a decent Speaker. You're an honourable Speaker. But you have been put into the most difficult position by a minister who is trying to escape reality. You would not be put in this position that forced our hand to move dissent in your ruling if the minister had not been so evasive.

Australians are demanding answers from this government. The Prime Minister's off on another overseas flight, and you've got this minister who refuses to answer questions in his absence. I don't think the Australian public are seeing a level of transparency, and that is why this minister has put this House into disrepute. And this is why, with all due respect to you, Mr Speaker, you should have upheld our point of order, moved that the minister was not in order, moved that the minister was not relevant to the question being asked, instead of the ruling that you made.

This is a serious issue, and the precedent here is important because, to be honest, this is not the first occasion where we have contemplated whether we move dissent because of the way in which the government has put you into a difficult position. Today is a red-letter day for this minister because the minister has a clear question before her. Will she answer it honestly? So far she hasn't, and the Australian public demand nothing less of her.

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