Ms WELLS (Lilley) (14:06): My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Deputy Prime Minister said, about the Prime Minister's refusal to act against the member for Dawson: If you start prodding the bear, you're gonna make the situation worse. For us as a government. Not better … I can assure you that when you've got a thin margin, don't start giving reasons for a by-election. What sort of Prime Minister puts his majority over public health in the middle of a pandemic? The SPEAKER: I'm not sure that question is in order. I'm happy to hear the Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Burke: To the point of order: the question goes directly to the responsibilities of the Prime Minister. The quote is from the Deputy Prime Minister. So, in terms of the argument as to whether the Prime Minister needs to be across what everybody said, we're talking about the Deputy Prime Minister who's made these comments— The SPEAKER: That wasn't my point, but go on. Mr Burke: and goes directly to the statement from the Deputy Prime Minister, saying that the reason for not speaking out against the member for Dawson is the slim majority on the floor of this House. The SPEAKER: I'll make this point. I will call it in order when it goes to the point that to form a government you need a majority on the floor of the House. But I do point out that it's a fairly broad question. Certainly, there's the opportunity for a broad answer, I have to say. The Leader of the House. Mr Porter: I think that the Prime Minister's position, with respect to the member in question, was made quite clear in the response to the motion that was moved yesterday. Mr Perrett interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Moreton will leave under 94(a). The member for Mor e ton then left the chamber. Mr Porter: With respect to the question itself, the Manager of Opposition Business, in speaking to the point that the question is directly relevant, is being very generous in his understanding of the word 'direct', because the question is more of a musing than a question. It simply puts an opinion and then seeks an opinion on an opinion. I don't see how—leaving aside relevance—it was actually a question. The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Burke: First of all, I thought that a ruling had been given. But, if we're still on the previous point, the standing order rule about relevance goes to answers, not to questions. This question goes to responsibilities. There is, during a pandemic, a clear responsibility to speak out in favour of public health. The comments from the Deputy Prime Minister today say that that has effectively been compromised in order to preserve a majority on the floor. The fact that the Prime Minister made some comments— The SPEAKER: I might just ask the Manager of Opposition Business to resume his seat. Certainly the question contained—I shouldn't say 'the question'; the statement was longer than the question, which was right at the end. I am going to rule it in order, but I am going to make the point—and I will reflect on this with other questions—that, when a question is asked in that manner, which really is a sort of political attack accusation, and that's what it is, and the bit at the end is relevant, I'm going to allow it. But I will not be taking points of order on the Prime Minister not being relevant, because the way the question's been asked it's almost impossible for him to be not relevant. The Prime Minister has the call.