Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

On the same point of order: I fully support the way you have ruled on the previous point of order, on the basis that any quote out of context can be interpreted by the minister the same way as it was interpreted in a partisan fashion by the questioner. As you say so often, Mr President, you can't direct the minister how to answer the question. Of course, just because an opposition senator asserts that a particular quote is meant a particular way doesn't mean that the government has to accept that.