Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Mr President: it is inappropriate to now try to reword the question to bring it back within a sensible position, because what the question was was an utter slur and it should have been ruled out of order. I was not going to take a point of order on that because the minister can answer that part of the question which falls within his portfolio. But for the senator to then try to take a point of order to indicate that somehow it is a reasonable question that requires an answer and that it requires an answer that is directly relevant to the question is, I think, beyond the pale. There is no point of order.