Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. On the question just answered by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts I seek guidance as to ministerial arrangements with regard to climate change in this House. I am following the guidance which you yourself gave to me. Last week on Thursday a question on emissions trading was given to the minister for the environment. He declined to answer it. He has given today an extensive answer in relation to emissions trading and again last week—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I have got the point that the member for Flinders is making.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We seek to know who is responsible for climate change in this House on that side.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! As I recollect, the details of ministerial arrangements and the division between ministers of responsibilities for ministers in the other chamber have been circulated. I thanked the honourable member for giving me notice of this last week of this as a dorothy dixer, but I do not thank him for now raising it again. But I will try to do justice to the point he is making. The general principle that should underpin question time is that this is an opportunity to put the executive to the test about areas of public policy and it would seem appropriate that the executive from time to time would decide who is the appropriate minister to answer the question. It is on that basis that I proceed in this way.