Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent question time today being postponed until 2.30 pm, to be followed by the usual order of business.

I should inform the House that the Manager of Opposition Business and I have had a discussion about this matter. It is the government's intention—in fact, our commitment—that question time will still go for the usual hour and 10 minutes, starting at 2.30 pm, so as not to take away any of that crucial scrutiny time for the opposition. This is being done, with the kind agreement of the opposition, because the Prime Minister is still returning from Yarralumla.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I apologise to the people in the galleries who have turned up with great anticipation. Imagine that we are in injury time, I guess. At 2.30 pm we will start question time. The government will be ready for question time by 2.30 pm, and we welcome the commitment from the government that the rest of debate will not in any way be jeopardised for the rest of the course of the day. In the meantime I understand we are going to continue with—stay in the galleries—the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Debit Card Trial) Bill 2015.

Question agreed to.