George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

A man overboard indeed, Senator Johnston. But to stoop to a new low in Australian parliamentary democracy, to actually vote to suspend the standing orders so that there could be no question time, reasonably expecting that the question time would be largely directed to the minister—the weak, struggling, failing, hopeless, flailing minister they were trying to protect—is unprecedented. Mr President, the ruling you have given, while I do not reflect upon it, was a ruling in relation to a motion that the question be put. The only question that this Senate has decided is that the motion— (Time expired)