QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator HUME (Victoria—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): Numerous reports today quote Labor parliamentarians saying that the Prime Minister will not apologise because, when he gets something in his head, he doesn't back down until he has to, and that is now harder for him to do so because female Labor ministers have publicly defended him. After you defended the Prime Minister, did you advise the Prime Minister that, now that you've defended him, he can't come out and admit the truth?

Or did he in fact assure you that your defence of him was true? Senator Ruston interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Ruston, withdraw that comment.

Senator Ruston: I withdraw.