Page 3554 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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places, but he is not addressing the amendment that was put forward by Mrs Dunne. I ask you to direct him to focus on the amendment, Madam Deputy Speaker.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you.
MR SMYTH: If I can speak to the amendment, the amendment talks about Mr Brown—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just a minute, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: I ask to speak to the point of order. Sorry; I said amendment. I do apologise; I meant the point of order. If Ms Hunter had bothered to read the amendment, she would have seen what the amendment says. I will read it for you, because obviously you have not read it.
Ms Hunter: I have read the amendment.
MR SMYTH: It says:
… the unwillingness of the Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Bob Brown, to disavow this policy during his address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, 18 August 2010 …
That is what I was talking to. I do not see how it is irrelevant.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, I believe it is my job to—
MR SMYTH: I am speaking to the point of order.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, but I believe it is my job to decide what is in the amendment.
MR SMYTH: No; it is your job to rule.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes. I think that Ms Hunter has it in front of her just as you do. I think that you do need to get back to the subject.
MR SMYTH: Sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. On the point of order, she said I was speaking about things not in the amendment. But I have just finished speaking about Bob Brown saying, “I will give you an outline of the costings.” I am talking about what he said at the Press Club today. This is about what he said at the Press Club today. It is entirely in order.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just keep to the amendment. Continue, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Yes. So there are questions here, and all of these questions go to the cost of living. The Greens’ policy document is loaded with additional cost for ordinary Australians. As Mr Hanson has already pointed out in his speech, 9.9 million Australians have hospital cover and 11.5 million have private health insurance. Of those, 3.4 million have an income of less than $35,000 per annum.
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