Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the member for Flynn in his capacity as the chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth. I note the strong leadership the member has provided in the committee's current inquiry into the trade system and the digital economy. Is the member able to inform the House of the progress of recent inquiries that he's been leading? Is the member still accepting submissions from interested parties? When does the member expect his efforts to reach their conclusion? And when does the member expect the report to finally be tabled?

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

Mr Speaker—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Leader of the Opposition and others! The Leader of the House will resume his seat. I'm just going to say to members on my left: if they don't cease interjecting, I'll just simply move onto the next question. The Leader of the House on a point of order.

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

Mr Speaker, the opposition is engaging in a transparent attempt to flout the very strict rules that surround the standing orders. As you well know, there is a very limited window of opportunity for chairmen of committees to be able to answer questions in question time. Question time is designed for questions from the opposition and the crossbenches to the government to hold the government to account. This has been a tactic employed by oppositions for many decades, but there was a very strict requirement around such questions, and I would urge you to ensure that those rules are abided by as tightly and as carefully as possible.

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

I call the Manager of Opposition Business.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. Standing order 99 has been used before, including when the Leader of the House was in the job that I'm in now. The rules around it are that the member being asked has to be responsible for the committee—this obviously applies, given he is the chair of it—and relates to issues for which he is responsible.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business can resume his seat. I've got my glasses on, so it's serious. I'll be very quick with this. On this occasion, the Leader of the House is quite right. The Manager of Opposition Business can say that the member's responsible, but the question must relate to a bill, motion or other business of the House or committee for which the member is responsible.

Honourable members interjecting—

Can I conclude without everyone interjecting? It needs to be read in conjunction with Practice, and these questions, and I'm referring—

Mr Llew O'Brien interjecting—

Mr Gee interjecting—

The member for Wide Bay and the member for Calare aren't assisting. I believe this needs to be read in conjunction—

Mr Clare interjecting—

The member for Blaxland! I think the Manager of Opposition Business is seeking to listen to me. He's well aware of the standing orders. There needs to be a specific example, not a general example, and the practice has been that these questions are essentially confined to timing and procedure. I've been a committee chair myself. I've heard a lot of these questions asked in the past, and I don't believe this is in order. I prepared to hear from the—

Mr Rob Mitchell interjecting—

I'm here to uphold the standing orders, not to please the member for McEwen, to be frank. I can tell you: it's something I spend no time on. The Manager of Opposition Business can make a further submission.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, only today the Guide to procedures for the House of Representatives came out. On page 103, it refers to questions to private members and gives the exact example that is in this question of a committee chair being asked when a report would be tabled, which are the exact words that are in this question. This was circulated to members today.

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

I'll make a couple of points to the Manager of Opposition Business. I was very pleased to launch the guide yesterday. In my remarks at the launch of the guide, which, unfortunately, the Manager of Opposition Business wasn't able to attend due to his other duties, he would have heard me say that the guide was developed over a number of years. It first started as a short statement that then became a guide, prior to the Practice. It's designed as a quick guide, not a detailed practice, which is to be found in the Practice. If he looks to page 551 of the Practice, he'll notice that questions have been asked generally about timing and procedure. That question had a lot more in it than timing and procedure. I've made the point, and the questions that have been allowed in the past have been very specific, about timing and procedure. I remember, many years ago, questions about Sydney Airport, and I know the member for Grayndler will remember those.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I remember them very well.

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

You do. They were very concise, about timing and procedure. They are not an avenue to introduce a whole lot of things for which the private member is not responsible to seek to make a political point. I'm being very clear. I'm ruling it out of order.