Points of Order — Question No. 7 to Minister, 18 November

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your advice in relation to question No. 7 on the Order Paper yesterday. Very serious allegations were made; that armed and drug-crazed home detainees had attacked security guards. I had no information about this, but I felt an obligation to investigate this matter for the House. Unfortunately, the one security firm that services home detainees has no evidence, at all, of this happening. I have checked with the police, and they have had no complaint. Nor have they received any information from Mr Mark.

💬 Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: We are in the middle of a point of order. [Interruption] The member is very close to contravening my statement.

Yesterday Mr Mark was denied the opportunity to table an email. He will not give me a copy of that email because he was denied permission. I wonder whether he could be given the opportunity again to submit that evidence to the House, so that I can follow it up.

Having concluded that point of order, you will have realised by now that, from the start to the finish, it never was a point of order. It was a blatant political effort made by a member whose party denied my colleague the right to give him the information yesterday. If he wants to behave in that petulant fashion, then you should not—

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Please be seated. I have finished, and do not have to hear the member any further. The member is perfectly correct in what he says. Any member, of course, can seek to table a document—I have found that out; it has been drawn to my attention. If the member wants to seek leave to table it, that is his business, and his business alone.

Question No. 6 to Minister, 18 November