Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have a question to you. It goes to the answer you gave to the Leader of the Opposition. It is about the question of who can or cannot make rulings in this place.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition is right. Anyone in the chair can make a ruling, but given the circumstances of what was happening I was loath to make one as I am not the Speaker. Given the debate that was happening, it would normally be the Speaker who was the occupier of the chair. Any person in the chair has the right and the authority to make a ruling. I just think, given the circumstances I find myself in, I was loath to do it. But I did not rule out of order the question that the opposition put before the chair.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, can I ask a question to clarify?

Mr Albanese interjecting—

He is still running interference!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: the Speaker of the House of Representatives has made it clear and has enforced that questions such as that will not be asked after question time. That is the view that he has put before this chamber so as to avoid this tit for tat, so we do not have questions I could ask such as: is the budget before the Privileges Committee? That is just as absurd as the question asked by the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business has an administrative question.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, my question is: if you are loath to make a ruling and the opposition disagrees with the position you have taken, how can we move dissent in your ruling?

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not obliged to give advisory rulings. There is no obligation for the chair to do it.