Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the member for Holt under standing order 99. I remind the member for Holt that, as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, he recently tabled the report Review of administration and expenditure No. 10. In the light of his committee's report, does he believe that our security agencies' capacity to perform their tasks has been sequestered from the necessary funding to execute their role adequately?

Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have not given the member the call. The question is not in order.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, if standing order 99 is to mean anything at all, this question has to be in order. I will just take you through it briefly. Standing order 99 allows questions without notice to any member relating to the business of a committee for which the member asked is responsible. I would point out: the member for Holt is the chair of the relevant committee. A question to a committee chair asking when a report will be tabled has been permitted. But that is not the case on this occasion. A question asking if a committee had been requested to inquire into a certain matter has not been permitted. That is not the case on this occasion. The Speaker has ruled out of order a question to a chair which asks that the committee examine certain matters. We are not asking that on this occasion. Questions concerning statements by a committee chair are not permitted. We are not asking about the statements that the member for Holt made in the tabling of his report; we are asking him if he still believes, in the light of his committee's report, which he was responsible for, that our security agencies' capacity to perform their tasks—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, on a point of order—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. I will refer you to House of Representatives Practice, pages 552 to 553, in the anticipation that this question may arise. While the questions have been asked over time, given that a view is being sought from the chair of the committee, the question is out of order.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I would point out that the member for Holt is enthusiastically wishing to answer the question. He wishes to do so. I would also point out that opportunities to ask questions about committee business are restricted by standing order 100(e) which prevents questions referring to:

… proceedings of a committee not reported to the House.

In this case, the committee has reported. The member for Holt is the chair. It does not contravene any of the rules in the standing orders. And, if he is not able to answer this question, standing order 99 might as well be removed from the standing orders.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This question is, indeed, out of order. As soon as the Manager of Opposition Business used the term 'view', he knocked himself out.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I didn't use the term 'view', you stupid person.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business will withdraw—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw, Madam Speaker, but I point out—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and I was—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

it was a completely false statement.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Manager of Opposition Business!

Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, on a point of order. If you recall events of yesterday, I explored standing order 99 in detail because it was important to try and get on the record various views on the science of man-made climate change. What I needed, if I was to use standing order 99, was something before the House on climate change. I could not find anything from the Liberal-National party on that and, therefore, actually endorsed the point that the Manager of Opposition Business is making—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lyne will resume his seat.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why aren't you sitting him down?

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asking him to.

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting—

Oh! How dare you! How dare you! I am sorry: the Deputy Leader of the Opposition will withdraw that comment. Reflecting on the chair—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

is one of the gravest breaches of these standing orders—one of the gravest breaches. The Manager of Opposition Business: if you would like to rephrase the question then I will consider it, because I think standing order 99 should be observed.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, this is federal parliament; occasionally, some of you would like to remember that. The Leader of the House has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I fully expected this today. If the Manager of Opposition Business could not get his act together, over two days, to phrase a question in order, we should move on and have a question from this side.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business will restate the question, without seeking the views of the member.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the member for Holt, under standing order 99. I remind the member for Holt that, as chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, he recently tabled the report,Review of administration and expenditure No. 10. In light of his committee's report, does he confirm that the committee found that our security agencies' capacity to perform their tasks had been sequestered from the necessary funding to execute their role adequately, and does he agree with the findings?

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He almost got there, Speaker. He almost got there, but in the end bit he blew himself out of the water. The question is out of order.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The last part of the question was out of order.

Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have nothing further to add to the statement that I have made, but I do flag a concern here. I take my job as chair of the parliamentary joint intelligence committee very seriously. What I have observed, and what concerns me, with respect to the conduct of the Leader of the Opposition and the opposition in the past couple of days is this: that committee report was a joint report. It was a unanimous report. It was a report by consensus on two sides. I have never seen in this place, in my entire time, with one exception, national security just thrown around like it is a political plaything. And I accuse you, opposition leader, of doing so. You are the least qualified opposition leader to talk about matters of national security since Mark Latham. As to your stunt with the former director-general, Paul O'Sullivan—

Opposition members interjecting—

Did you ask questions that breached the Intelligence Services Act? I think I would be treading very carefully if I were you. The next question would be—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Holt will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! The member for Corio has the call.

Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Corangamite, Madam Speaker.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Corangamite; my apologies. I was getting confused about Geelong; my mind was elsewhere!

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! The member for Corangamite has the call, and has the right to be heard in silence, especially from his own colleagues.