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

I raise a point of order. The opposition has given this minister all the latitude in the world. As Senator Collins just pointed out in her interjection, there is only one second left in the answer. The only thing that the minister has not said, but still has time to say in the remaining second of her answer, is to answer the only thing she was asked: the number of businesses to which these permits will issue. That is what she was asked, even if, consistently with your ruling, everything else that she has said so far can be regarded as preamble or context, she can now only answer the question or admit she is ignorant of her own portfolio.