Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I have a question for you following question time today. I preface it by saying that I understand that it is very difficult to observe everything going on in the chamber during question time, and I appreciate that more than most. But is it appropriate for members of the government to be inviting people to a brawl, to come on over to the other side of the chamber and have a bit of a biffo during the exchange? I think it is stretching the behaviour and the standards a bit far when we actually have members calling people over to step outside. The only other time I have actually seen it occur—and the member for Bass might want to run back to his seat—was with the member for O'Connor in a previous parliament, where he was attempting to—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we might stop it there.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know, but I do raise a very serious point—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume her seat. Out of deference to her former position as Speaker of the House, I listened very carefully to what the member had to say. But I have made the same ruling as she made and Speaker Jenkins made, that the only questions to the Speaker are ones that relate to administration. However, if there have been instances of invitation, shall we say, to affray then they are quite unseemly and out of order, and they will desist.