Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order, which goes to the use of supplementary questions to make argument and to make allegations. I have raised this with you before, Mr President, but I think the practice is getting out of control. Consistently we have opposition senators seeking to make commentary rather than just asking the supplementary question. I think Senator Macdonald took it to a new low with his attempt to make accusations in his introduction to the supplementary question. Mr President, I raise this point of order because I do think it is becoming an unhealthy practice encouraged by the new question time format where we have seen repeated use of this practice. I do ask you to give consideration to perhaps being more firm with senators. I know you have drawn their attention to it on a number of occasions, but I do think it is becoming a practice that ought to be stamped out.