Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

On a point of order, President, I thank you for stepping through that. I appreciate, President, that you have a copy of the usual dit that's circulated in the chamber in front of you, as does Senator Gallagher. That dit has in it the words, 'And I move that the question be now put,' which sit separately. However, President, I did not hear those words said by the minister. So, President, I would encourage you to defer consideration of this matter to review precisely what occurred because my understanding is that the minister concluded—indeed, I've now got a copy of the same document you've got—before the red text. She read the black text, which was the motion that you went through, and stopped before saying the words, 'And I move that the question be now put.' In that case, the motion is eligible for debate, as moved by the minister. I would ask you to allow that motion to be debated, given the minister did not move that it be put.