Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Has the minister been lobbied by anyone in his electorate for a visa for an individual from the Gaza war zone since 7 October?

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

A point of order: this is a question asked of the member for Watson, not of the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, it's pretty clear that the member for Watson is also the minister for immigration, so this is entirely within his ministerial responsibilities.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, in his capacity as minister. Members can't ask a question about a minister's electorate or their capacity as a member. He might have been asked about another member or another electorate as well. I'm going to ask the member for Mallee to rephrase that to make sure that it is within the minister's responsibility, not his capacity as a member.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Has the minister been lobbied by anyone in his electorate or any other electorate for a visa for an individual from the Gaza war zone since 7 October?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House has the call.

Government members interjecting—

Order! Members on my right will cease interjecting immediately. The minister for the environment will cease interjecting. The Leader of the House has the call.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will explain how arrangements work within the portfolio. I haven't been in the habit of sharing individual representations that members make to ministers—but if we go down that path, we go down that path—but every member here makes representations. When I take on this portfolio and representations are made, I will have a similar arrangement to that which I had when I last took on the portfolio in 2013, which is that, for anything with respect to my electorate, I will have to make representation either to a different minister or to the secretary of my department. The responsible minister who deals with all ministerial interventions of that form, which I would make in behalf of my electorate, is the assistant minister. For anything in his electorate, he would write to me.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Lyons will cease interjecting. When the House comes to order, we'll hear from the member for Wills.