Page 4961 - Week 13 - Thursday, 12 November 2009
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Mr Seselja: Is this a speech, Mr Speaker, or is it a point of order?
MR SPEAKER: It is a point of order.
Mr Stanhope: Could you, on this point of order, expand on this? I go back and ask you to refresh yourself in relation to a supplementary question that was asked by Ms Porter yesterday in relation to financing of the Cotter Dam and it was ruled out of order because it did not go specifically to the Deloitte report which was also about the Cotter Dam.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Stanhope. My ruling on this question has been that I consider that the line of questioning has been around Crace. I have said that I think that is within the realms—
Mr Corbell: On the point of order—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, sit down. I am giving my ruling. My ruling is that these are a series of questions relating to the original topic, which was around Crace. I will give you an undertaking, Mr Stanhope, as it clearly exercises your mind, that I will go back and review the Hansard of yesterday. I will continue to try to implement the rules as consistently as I can.
Mr Corbell: When you are considering that matter, can I ask that you reflect particularly on your rulings yesterday—
Mr Coe: Move dissent if you do not like it.
Mr Corbell: I am just asking for the Speaker to take into account another matter, which is: yesterday and earlier this week, you ruled out of order a number of questions—
Mr Hanson: Didn’t the Speaker already make a ruling?
Mr Corbell: Yesterday, you ruled out of order a question from Ms Porter about the Cotter Dam because it did not relate directly to the Deloitte report on the Cotter Dam project. Clearly, the general range of questioning was about the Cotter Dam but you took the view—and I am not dissenting from your ruling—that it was a specific range of questioning about the Deloitte report on the Cotter Dam. Today, the ruling has been that, as long as it is about Crace, it is consistent. I would be grateful if you could compare that decision making when you take into account the matters Mr Stanhope has raised with you this afternoon.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Corbell. Mr Stanhope, you have the floor.
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do thank Ms Hunter for the question. I am more than happy to actually take it on notice and provide an answer. Our interest in this is just to better understand the new standing orders in relation to supplementary questions and I hope we can do that. I think this range of questions today provides
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