Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, Senator Johnston is not a comrade; he is a brother to me, and I am delighted to see Senator Johnston working with this government to try to achieve the very best outcome. It stands to reason that the Senate, which is the states house, will from time to time have people championing their specific state. However, the government's view—and that is what I was seeking to express prior to Senator Moore's point of order—in this area is very clear, and question time is usually devoted to matters of government and government policy, not to my personal views on somebody else's personal views.