Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I inform the House that the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia will be absent from question time today and for the remainder of the week, and the Deputy Prime Minister will answer questions on his behalf. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Defence Personnel will also be absent from question time today and for the remainder of the week, and the Minister for Defence will answer questions on his behalf. The Assistant Treasurer will be absent from question time today and for the remainder of the week, and the Treasurer will answer questions on his behalf. The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs will be absent from question time today and for the remainder of the week, and the Minister for Home Affairs will answer questions on his behalf.

May I thank all members of this place who have remained here in Canberra to enable these sittings to continue, and can I thank you, Mr Speaker, and the President of the Senate for the work you have done to enable us to do that here.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—Just in response to what the Prime Minister just raised: it sounds like video presence won't be used by ministers during question time. I respect that for today this has been organised and the moment will have gone, but, unless someone is unwell or prohibited from being able to participate, ministers should be available for questions. We have video presence available. There will be some who, because of the lockdown rules, are unable to go to their electorate office, and that is respected. But it sounds like, from what the Prime Minister has described, that even those ministers who would be able to get to their electorate office for video presence will not be available for question time for the remainder of the week.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can't really make any comment on that. As I said, video presence is available and the requirement is that members are trained, and that they do so from their electorate offices—as we know, without me going over all that again. For the circumstances of individual ministers and their attendance, that's not a matter for me; that is a matter for the Prime Minister.