Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister accept that he has the power to stop the Fair Work Commission decision of last week?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I assume that is the same Fair Work Commission decision that the Leader of the Opposition again and again said he would accept, a decision he would respect made by the independent umpire that he said he would support. Is that right? Is it the same one? The same one that was referred to on Neil Mitchell—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Or has there been another decision? Again and again the Leader of the Opposition has said that he accepted the independent umpire, supported the independent umpire, warned what a terrible thing it would be if parliament were to set penalty rates, as the Greens had proposed. He warned against all of those things, and now he has abandoned that commitment to the independent umpire because he now wants to make a political point and run a scare campaign. The government is consistent in its support for the Fair Work Commission. It has had a reference—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition does not have the call. He does not need to keep repeating 'point of order'. I am ready to give him the call.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: it was a 14-word question. Does the Prime Minister accept that he has the power to stop the cutting of the penalty rates—

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. Members on my right will cease interjecting. The member for Mitchell can leave under 94(a).

The member for Mitchell then left the chamber.

I refer everyone to yesterday's Hansard on interjecting when I am seeking to make a ruling on a point of order. I can refer the Leader of the Opposition to yesterday's Hansard on the conduct of points of order and my earlier rulings today. It does not matter how many words the question has. I refer to my earlier rulings about relevance to the policy topic. Points of order will not be used as an opportunity to repeat the question. There is special leniency for leaders of the opposition and prime ministers, but it is not unlimited. There are precedents where that has been withdrawn. I do not want to be a Speaker who has to take that action. The Prime Minister has the call; he is in order. The Prime Minister has concluded his answer.