George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, before you rule on the point of order, could I ask you to take into account the fact that, although you cannot instruct a minister how to answer a question, you do have an obligation to enforce the sessional orders. Therefore, you do have an obligation to ensure that the minister is directly relevant. With respect, it is no answer to that to say, ‘I can’t tell the minister how to answer the question.’ With respect, you are obliged to ensure that he is directly relevant. That is a judgment, Mr President, you must make. With respect to this question, the minister was asked whether a particular fact occurred or did not. It is within your capacity and obligation, if you are going to enforce the sessional orders, to ensure that the answer is directly relevant.