House debates Questions without Notice
Special Minister of State
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
3:00 pm
My question is to the Special Minister of State. I refer to the minister's previous answer, where he claimed that he did not request a copy of the former Speaker's diary when he sent a text to James Ashby in 2012 that read:
Can that be emailed James it is hard to read [email protected]
If he was not asking for the diary, what on earth is the parliament to think that he was asking for?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
Tony Smith Speaker
I remind members on both sides that I will deal with interjections.
Mal Brough Fisher, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State
On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday: the same questions. I ask the shadow Attorney-General a question: have you been able to ascertain one skerrick of evidence at all—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The point of order is on relevance. This is a very specific question referring to—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. The minister is 15 seconds into the answer.
Honourable members interjecting—
I warn members on both sides: do not interject. Do not interject while I am making a ruling.
Mal Brough Fisher, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State
Despite the best efforts of the opposition, they have not put one thing forward that was not already in the Federal Court and that has not already been dealt with by the Federal Court. I stand by all of my actions as being entirely appropriate and entirely honest.