Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister—

Government members interjecting—

earlier today the Minister for Communications labelled remarks from conservative commentator Andrew Bolt as 'demented', 'crazy' and 'unhinged'. Andrew Bolt then said:

If only Turnbull had spent half this charm fighting for Abbott’s Budget.

Prime Minister, who is right: your friend Andrew Bolt or your 'frenemy' Malcolm Turnbull?

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

It is all very amusing but it is not within the standing orders. It is not a question to the Prime Minister. It is not within his area of responsibility and therefore the question should be ruled out of order and the next questioner called from our side of the House.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House has actually made a very serious point, but nonetheless I have let a wide-ranging interpretation of the standing orders be a feature of the way I have ruled on these matters and I will give the Prime Minister the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was delighted to be shoulder to shoulder with the member for Wentworth and the Minister for Communications selling the budget—all of the benefits of this budget—just on Saturday at the Victor Chang medical research institute, an institute which will be one of the many beneficiaries of the Medical Research Future Fund. In any dispute between a member of my front bench and a member of the fourth estate, I am firmly on the side of my frontbencher.