Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

If I could take a point of order on that, Mr Deputy Speaker: with respect, the member for Wills was not making imputations against the character, or being defamatory, of the Prime Minister or any other minister in that respect. He was commenting more broadly on the issues affecting matters of national interest and public policy. Certainly in my 10 years of opposition, that has been a commonplace event in terms of debating the appropriation bills. While your ruling in respect of making imputations and attacking any minister or the Prime Minister’s character is appropriate, I would submit that that was not the case in respect of the argument at that time being presented by the member for Wills.

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