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

My question to you, Madam Speaker, is whether you will ask the member for Bendigo to withdraw an extremely unpleasant and untrue statement that he has published on Twitter out of question time today about the interjectors in the gallery. I would ask you to ask him to withdraw it. It is inappropriate; it is offensive; and it should not be done under the standing orders.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! If the Leader of the Opposition wants to stop people tweeting during question time, he should perhaps speak to many other people in this place. That would be my only comment on that. Obviously, during question time, I am not seeing what Twitter is saying. I am not on it for my own sanity and I would highly recommend everybody else getting off it for that very reason. I will investigate the matter. I have had concerns raised with me about the use of Twitter during question time and I take this matter very seriously.

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

Madam Speaker, I appreciate that. In returning to the chamber at some point either today or tomorrow, I would appreciate your direction on tweeting from the chamber, but particularly asking the member for Bendigo, who is a serial offender in this, to withdraw deeply offensive remarks about the opposition, which, if he were a gentleman, he would withdraw them now.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It would be almost impossible for the Speaker of any standing to ask somebody to withdraw something that is not said in the chamber. There are no provisions for that, but I will investigate the matter. I take it very seriously.