Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I am very keen to make a contribution on the Parliamentary Counsel and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 today. The title of 'Parliamentary Counsel' in the name of the bill relates, in my mind, to the titles of 'Senior Counsel' and 'Queen's Counsel', and I recognise the contribution that Senator Brandis, a Senior Counsel, has just given to this parliament in what was quite a remarkable speech. Some very interesting questions were raised in the speech that Senator Brandis just gave. Senator Joyce, while not a Senior Counsel or a Queen's Counsel, added to that with some questions that I certainly hope someone might be able to answer. But I digress.

This bill proposes to amend the Parliamentary Counsel Act 1970—can I still be heard?