QUESTIONS TO THE SPEAKER

Mr TEHAN (Wannon) (15:14): Speaker, it's a question to you. It concerns the administration of the House with respect to Hansard. During the course of question time, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy responded to a direct question from you on a point of order.

In responding to that question, he said, 'I'm done.' That remark was not captured on the live caption service. Hansardshould capture a question that you ask— Mr Bowen: What a joke! Mr TEHAN: So you don't now want your answers recorded in Hansard?

You said— The SPEAKER: Resume your seat. Before I respond on the question to me, I call the Leader of the House. Mr Burke: Just on the issue—because there's always a risk that we end up with questions to the Speaker being abused, as I'd suggest is happening right now—for the benefit of the House, traditionally, administration effectively goes to the financial decisions that the Speaker and the presiding officers make in terms of the decisions for, in fact, the administration of the building and those sorts of matters.

I just raise it as a point of order. The SPEAKER: Further to the point of order? Mr Tehan: Can I refer you to pages 621 and 622 of the Practice?

It's quite clear there that, when you ask a minister a question and he responds with, 'I'm done,' then that would be captured. The SPEAKER: Hansard is only a proof today. That's the first point.

So there is time for a correction. Order! We're just dealing with the question from the manager in an orderly way.

He's got every— An honourable member interjecting— The SPEAKER: Could people cease interjecting, otherwise I won't respond. I don't want to detain the House. Questions to me have to be about operations, not what happens during question time.

That's the first point, as the Leader of the House has indicated. When I ask a minister whether they have concluded, not all responses are always recorded. Sometimes people nod.

I understand the point you're trying to make, but just for clarity for the House, this is not a normal question to the Speaker. You've made your point now, but I'll just say that I don't want this to become a continuation. We've had a couple of these since the change of manager, and I don't want a recurrence of using questions to the Speaker to somehow make a secondary point that could be made during question time.