Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I'm going to address this issue. You can have a tete-a-tete on the subject behind the chair if you want to. Let me be very clear about this. When it comes to question time and other matters during the day, my responsibility is to call it on; that's why there is a procedure. I'm going to address this in some detail—

Mr Burke interjecting—

No, you can calmly listen. That's a good thing to do. I'm just going to flag exactly my point. That's why I say, 'In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has expired.' There's no hard finish for question time. The Leader of the House's point is right—that is, when there's a matter of public importance before the House, the Leader of the House can move the motion that was put there. Page 545 of House of Representatives Practice makes it very clear that the end of question time is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. That's always been the case.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Hang on. No, I'm addressing the House. Page 545 of Practice makes it very clear that ending question time is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. There is no set end time and indeed, as I think the Prime Minister might have indicated, they have gone for various lengths of time. They have over the years, and that's been the case, even though there's a normal period where questions start and end. But they have gone longer. In fact, on 4 February 2009, question time went for 126 minutes. It's in footnote 22 on that page. No-one can call question time to an end other than the Prime Minister or the duty minister. My responsibility as Speaker is to this House. I did that on some complex matters the other day, and I'm not going to have devices to try and end something like question time when the Practice and the convention are very clear indeed.

See this speech in context