Points of Order — Minister's Comments

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raise a very serious concern for the House. We have had a senior Minister of this Government give an answer in Parliament that has gone around the world, and then we have had a situation where the Government of another country, which is a parliamentary democracy, has been reported in that country as saying that there is no truth in the statement that the Minister has made. So I am in a quandary, because it seems to me that we cannot—

Would the member tell me what the point of order is? This is a point of order.

💬 RODNEY HIDE: Well, answers have to be truthful. We have had a Minister give an answer about another Government. That Government has said that is totally untrue—

Please be seated. The member knows that if there is any matter like that, it then becomes a matter about which the member should be writing to me on a question of privilege. I suggest to the member that that is where we go.

💬 Rodney Hide: Point of order.

I have made my ruling.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I know you have made your ruling. I made a decision not to raise it with you as a breach of privilege. If I had done that, I would have had it to you by 2 o’clock. My difficulty is that I do not see how we can bring a foreign Government into an issue on a breach of privilege. To make it clear, it concerns a statement—

That is not a point of order, and that makes no difference to the issue. Please be seated.