Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, unfortunately the President has left before I could raise this issue, but could you please ask the President if he could give a ruling on senators addressing the chair? The President has ruled that there is no point of order, but I would like him to come back to the Senate and advise senators whether he expects them to face him when they address him or whether they should turn their backs deliberately to him. What I am asking you to do, Mr Deputy President, is to refer the matter to the President and to ask him to come back with a deliberative statement on the conduct of senators in this chamber insofar as facing the chair.