John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I am glad you appreciate it too and I am glad that you are listening at this stage—it is unusual for you. Standing order 72(2) says:

A question may be put to the chairman of a committee relating to the activities of that committee, provided that:

(a) unless leave of the Senate is granted for the question to be asked without notice, it may be asked only on notice.

We know in relation to this, Mr President, that through ignorance the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who did not have an understanding of the standing orders of the Senate, did not comply with the standing orders of the Senate when he asked his question. As a result, quite properly, Mr President, you ruled that question out of order, as you should have. That is the status we have at the moment. I thought in my earlier point of order I outlined the options that were available to the Senate. I also might say in support of this point of order that I admit—