Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. Standing order 196 says:

The President ... may call the attention of the Senate ... to continued irrelevance ... and may direct a senator to discontinue a speech ...

This, in my submission, includes an answer at question time. To talk about national security in the terms of the question asked by Senator Brandis in relation to the Semple report is, with great respect, about as irrelevant as one can get to what was a very, very concise question. I would invite you, Mr President, to have a look at the specifics of standing order 196.