Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, this is where the Manager of Opposition Business has just exposed himself, because, quite frankly, it is not the job of the member for Isaacs to interrogate the Special Minister of State as though he were in a court of law in a case. In question time, in the parliament of the House, there are standing orders that govern questions and what a minister can be asked. As long as he can be asked matters that are within his ministerial responsibility or about which he has commented, as you pointed out before, they may well be in order. But a question like this, which is purely a fishing expedition, probably would not even be allowed in a court of law.

See this speech in context