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

Mr Speaker, to your words that you've just offered to the House, it is with longstanding precedent in this place that, if offensive words are uttered by a minister of the Crown, which, in this case, they most certainly have—that is not in dispute. The argument that the Leader of the House puts is not that the words were unparliamentary. His point is that they weren't dealt with in the first instance. Again, that is an argument that fails because the course of action taken was that, given the offensive nature of it, we responded in a way that was obviously proportionate to what were disgusting comments. There is a long precedent—not to mention the fact, Mr Speaker, that your predecessors have required, even if they haven't heard the words themselves, for the minister to withdraw that statement. That was your instinct, rightly; that was your direction to the minister. And now, with the weight of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House trying to—

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