House debates

Monday, 23 March 2026

Questions to the Speaker

Australian Parliament

3:14 pm

Photo of Dan TehanDan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | | Hansard source

Speaker, it's a question to you. It concerns the administration of the House with respect to Hansard. During the course of question time, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy responded to a direct question from you on a point of order. In responding to that question, he said, 'I'm done.' That remark was not captured on the live caption service. Hansardshould capture a question that you ask—

Photo of Chris BowenChris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | | Hansard source

What a joke!

Photo of Dan TehanDan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | | Hansard source

So you don't now want your answers recorded in Hansard? You said—

Photo of Milton DickMilton Dick (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Resume your seat. Before I respond on the question to me, I call the Leader of the House.

Photo of Mr Tony BurkeMr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | | Hansard source

Just on the issue—because there's always a risk that we end up with questions to the Speaker being abused, as I'd suggest is happening right now—for the benefit of the House, traditionally, administration effectively goes to the financial decisions that the Speaker and the presiding officers make in terms of the decisions for, in fact, the administration of the building and those sorts of matters. I just raise it as a point of order.

Photo of Milton DickMilton Dick (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Further to the point of order?

Photo of Dan TehanDan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | | Hansard source

Can I refer you to pages 621 and 622 of the Practice? It's quite clear there that, when you ask a minister a question and he responds with, 'I'm done,' then that would be captured.

Photo of Milton DickMilton Dick (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Hansard is only a proof today. That's the first point. So there is time for a correction. Order! We're just dealing with the question from the manager in an orderly way. He's got every—

An honourable member interjecting

Could people cease interjecting, otherwise I won't respond. I don't want to detain the House. Questions to me have to be about operations, not what happens during question time. That's the first point, as the Leader of the House has indicated. When I ask a minister whether they have concluded, not all responses are always recorded. Sometimes people nod. I understand the point you're trying to make, but just for clarity for the House, this is not a normal question to the Speaker. You've made your point now, but I'll just say that I don't want this to become a continuation. We've had a couple of these since the change of manager, and I don't want a recurrence of using questions to the Speaker to somehow make a secondary point that could be made during question time.