Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer the Acting Prime Minister to his letter to Holden yesterday and to Holden's reaction to that letter, which was that the letter was 'designed for political consumption rather than being a genuine effort to communicate'. Haven't the government got exactly what they wanted, and won't Australia's workers pay for their failure? The SPEAKER: Before I call the Honourable the Acting Prime Minister to answer that question, I would remind the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that you have to say from where the quote comes and show why it is relevant to the question. The quote had no source, so the question cannot stand. Can the deputy leader rephrase her question? Ms PLIBERSEK: Madam Speaker, I can table the source. The SPEAKER: No, I do not wish you to table. I wish you to— Opposition members interjecting— Ms PLIBERSEK: I can table the source. Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER: There will be silence! I said to the deputy leader that she can have the opportunity to rephrase her question and give the source in her question, as is the proper way to do it. Ms PLIBERSEK: Madam Speaker, I can verify the source— The SPEAKER: Re-read the question and rephrase it. Ms PLIBERSEK: It comes from the Australian Financial Review 'Hockey dares GM to leave', and I table that. The SPEAKER: That is not what I asked you, Deputy Leader. I will give you one more chance. I said: rephrase your question and give the source of the quote in the question. Ms PLIBERSEK: My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer the Acting Prime Minister to this article in the Australian Financial Review, which says that his letter to Holden was: … designed for political consumption rather than being a genuine effort to communicate. The SPEAKER: And whose quote are we talking about? Ms PLIBERSEK: Haven't the government got exactly what they wanted, and won't Australian workers pay for their failure? Mr Pyne: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. On two points the question does not stand. In spite of your giving the Acting Leader of the Opposition an opportunity to rephrase her question, she still has failed to state the source: who she is quoting— Opposition members interjecting— Mr Pyne: The point of order is that the question is out of order. The second reason it is out of order is that the last part of the question was entirely hypothetical—it was argument, not a question—and therefore it cannot stand. The Manager of Opposition Business needs to get the questions right rather than simply expect you, Madam Speaker, to put up with questions that do not fit the standing orders. Mr Burke: To the point of order, Madam Speaker: the verification that was provided refers to the Holden spokesperson making that comment and making that quote, and it was worded that way in the first instance. You then asked for it to be reworded with the verification, and that was done. The SPEAKER: No, it was not. Mr Burke: In terms of the second half of the question, which has also been at issue: for the entirety of question time yesterday we saw the Treasurer daring the company to leave, and we are entitled to put that back to them. The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order; that is going to argument. I simply said in the first place that the question, to be in order where you use a quote, must give the source of the quote which shows why it is relevant to the question and that that was not in the original question. So perhaps the deputy leader can have a last try. Ms PLIBERSEK: Madam Speaker, my question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer him to an article on the Australian Financial Review website which says, in the article: A Holden spokesman said the company would not respond to Mr Truss’s letter, which it was felt was designed for political consumption rather than being a genuine effort to communicate. Haven't you got what you wanted? The SPEAKER: I am going to let the question stand and call the Acting Prime Minister. But I would make this point: the standing order requires a quote to have a proper source, and 'a Holden spokesman' is getting very close to the line.