Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (12:49): First of all to the point of order: I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for observing the same protocol that I did in raising what you're saying is a similar issue—waiting until the end of the statement before the issue was raised. I do respect that. When the issue was raised in the previous term, it was after the now shadow Treasurer had given a ministerial statement. Whichever rules you bring down we'll all follow, Mr Speaker, but I do submit there was a big distinction. Very simply, that ministerial statement by the now shadow Treasurer specifically referred to the Labor Party; it specifically referred to announced Labor Party policies; it contained a characterisation of his view of divisions within the Labor Party. That's always outside of ministerial statements. What was in the ministerial statement that we just heard was the economic context that the government is now in. I wasn't here for the very start, but if there was anything in that statement that, for example, referred to policies or comments that had been made by the now opposition, that engaged in that sort of political dialogue, then that should not be in a ministerial statement. But if we create a situation where you can't talk about the context of the policies you're announcing, I think we'd actually be retreating a long way from what this principle has always been. The SPEAKER: I thank the Leader of the House and I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for raising this issue. I have read both of the statements made by the now shadow minister on 29 October 2020, and I have listened to almost everything the Treasurer said. I do want to address this issue so that the House can move forward, because we will be having further ministerial statements. I echo what the then Manager of Opposition Business said on that date, 29 October, when he advised the House that ministerial statements do occur through leave—and this is for the benefit of new members as well—and when that leave is granted then leave is also automatically granted to the opposition—in this case the shadow Treasurer, the Leader of the Opposition or the relevant shadow minister. The convention is that copies are provided in advance, and I understand the Treasurer did that in compliance with that arrangement. But the purpose of ministerial statements is to announce government policies or matters for which the minister concerned is responsible. I want to make this clear: there is no flexibility, tolerance or capacity to talk about anything other than that. So think of it like this: think forwards, not backwards. When you are announcing a ministerial statement, you talk about the policies that you are announcing because it is a courtesy the House has given to the relevant minister—and the shadow minister as well. I want to point this out to the Treasurer and to all future ministerial statements. While I agree with the Manager of Opposition Business there were some political undertones in the Treasurer's speech, these were given for context purposes. As this is the first ministerial statement to the House, I listened carefully. In making a decision now, I want to be crystal clear: ministerial statements are not to be political statements, and this is outlined very clearly and very concisely in the Practice. I would refer new members to pages 501 and 502. I hope that clarifies the matter moving forward. I thank the Manager of Opposition Business, and I now call the member for Hume.