Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: as I have indicated to those opposite before, if the senator asking the question seeks to make a commentary as they start the question or prior to asking the question then they cannot expect that not to be addressed. On this occasion the senator asking the question made a comment prior to asking his question. That Senator Carr responded to that is quite natural and to be expected, and then Senator Carr was to turn to the specifics of the question. He has had 33 seconds and he has not had the opportunity to get to the core of the question. If Senator Abetz stopped rising with fruitless points of order, the opposition would get a lot more questions, but it seems they are not interested in holding the government to account. Senator Ferguson’s remarks are quite wrong. If you want serious answers, ask serious questions. If you do not want ministers to make political responses, do not put them in your questions.