Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: there is no convention, practice or procedure such as Senator Evans refers to. That is a fiction of his imagination. It is perfectly legitimate under standing order 72(1), to which Senator Ellison referred, for a senator, in questions without notice, to refer a question to another senator relating to any matter connected with the business on the Notice Paper of which such senator has charge. This is a perfectly proper question. There should be no opposition or angst from the Labor Party. It is perfectly proper for the chairman of the committee to respond to this question and I ask that you rule accordingly.