John Hogg (President) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis, the standing orders allow the minister two minutes in which to respond to the primary question and one minute in which to respond to each of the supplementary questions. You were quite correct in what you said about my capacity to tell the minister how to answer the question. That is quite correct. I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question. I can listen to the minister’s answer and where the minister is not responding to the question I will draw the minister’s attention to the question. However, the standing order has not been compartmentalised in the way in which you are implying, and the minister has the full 60 seconds in which to respond. If the minister does not respond by giving you the answer that you desire, I cannot force the minister to do that. I cannot force a minister to give a particular response. So I remind those who ask the questions that the minister must be given the opportunity to respond without interjection, and I remind the ministers when responding that they need to respond to the question that has been asked.