Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Hansard source

On the point of order—

Senator Watt interjecting—

Senator Watt, I'm trying to rule on your leader's point of order. The move from relevance to direct relevance has always been interpreted to contain the nature of an answer. When ministers answer a question, further material that is provided, in my view, still needs to be directly relevant and to meet that test. I can't instruct a minister to accept the premise of a question, however. So the minister can answer in the terms that a minister deems fit. But it isn't appropriate to assign a motive to a person asking the question. Senator Payne? You have concluded your answer.

Senator Chisholm, a final supplementary question?