House debates Questions without Notice
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
2:25 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Would the government's proposed national anticorruption body have the power to investigate the now minister for regionalisation giving a grant to a shooting club of which she was a member?
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence
Mr Speaker, I refer to your earlier comments. It is clear that in the construct of that question the honourable member is asking for a legal opinion of the Prime Minister, which is out of order.
Tony Smith Speaker
I said—before I even call the Manager of Opposition Business—that on a strict ruling I could do that. I have not done that. This question certainly does do that, but there's a long history of these sorts of questions being asked. It's just that those asking them need to know that the answer can be rather broader than they anticipate. The minister has the call.
Paul Fletcher Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts
2:26 pm
I do thank the shadow Attorney-General for his question. The shadow Attorney-General, of course, is very keen on a model where QCs and SCs get to put on the robe and the wig. He's quite keen on the wig, is the shadow Attorney-General, and he's quite keen on trousering five or six or seven grand a day as well, Mr Speaker.
Tony Smith Speaker
No, you can withdraw that term. That term has—you can just withdraw it.
Paul Fletcher Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts
I withdraw. I don't criticise the shadow Attorney-General for speaking up strongly for the interests of Senior Counsel and Queen's Counsel. I once made the mistake, actually, of referring to him as a Senior Counsel. He corrected me. He's a Queen's Counsel. I respect that.
Tony Smith Speaker
I'd just say to the minister: his preamble is now over. He's taking rather too literally what I've said.
Paul Fletcher Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts
I am surprised that a respected Queen's Counsel would seek to use this forum to invite, as it were, anticipatory legal opinions from a minister. That's quite inappropriate and I won't be doing it.