Michael Forshaw (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

If you want to throw the understandings out, come out and say that what you want in the future is a different system for question time. That is a whole new matter—that is where you are heading. You, Mr President, pointed out that you were going to give the call to the Greens. You also on a number of occasions pointed out that it would be open to members of the opposition, when their turn to ask a question came, to seek leave at that time to ask the same question and it would be considered. That is the entire context. That is the entire way in which these proceedings unfolded. I think it is completely disingenuous to stand up in the Senate and try to argue on the basis of one aspect of that whole debate that the chair deliberately denied a senator the opportunity to seek leave. And to go on and suggest that somehow this—