Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Hansard source

Order! The minister did mention—

Honourable senators interjecting—

I'll answer the point of order when there's silence. It's only Monday, everyone. Now, on the point of order, Senator Keneally, the minister did mention underemployment then, as you got to your feet. I did hear him talk about both. However, I have not had to ask a minister to stop answering a question. But, when I have a specific question that says, 'How many are?' and, 'When will it return?' that is factual in nature, without any political loading or phrasing in the question, that requires an answer to be directly relevant. A directly relevant answer is not a broad commentary on the topic. So I'm going to remind ministers of that, because I've always said that if questions are specific in nature, without political phrasing, then 'directly relevant' is a very strict test. Where questions actually include arguable phrases and loaded terminology, ministers are allowed to respond in kind, but this was a very specific question about 'how many' and 'when shall it return', without loading; I'm happy to be corrected if the Hansard shows me otherwise. So I ask the minister to be very specific. Ministers always have the ability to take it on notice. We have five seconds remaining.