Points of Order — Member’s withdrawal from Chamber

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. During question No. 4 in the name of the Hon. Murray McCully, Rodney Hide called a point of order, and you asked me to leave the House. I do not challenge that, but I am seeking clarification from you of the process when a member calls a point of order and prefaces it with an offer to help the Government. He prefaced his point of order with that statement, which suggested that he was asking whether he could help the Government, and I think Hansard will clearly show that. My reply was “No thanks”. I am asking the Speaker to consider the ruling in terms of the seriousness of my offence, and to perhaps consider whether it was worthwhile evicting me from the Chamber.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Yes, it was, because the member interjected on a point of order. When a person offers to help the Government, I usually think that that is an unusual request, particularly coming from the quarter it did.