Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

No, I don't agree with that interpretation. I really don't. It's a fundamental difference. What you're really asking of me is to speak very quickly and state the question when there's someone there already seeking the call. If the boot is on the other foot, there are times when you're seeking the call or the Leader of the Opposition is seeking the call. That is why those standing orders, and they're fairly brutal standing orders, they really are—the Leader of the Opposition and yourself know the history of them; they go back a long way—are designed for exactly that purpose. So what the argument here really is is that I should have ignored someone at the dispatch box and stated the question. We were talking about a millisecond. Let's be real-world about it. I'm happy to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business again.

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