The PRESIDENT (14:54): That question is not in order. I am not ruling on anything. From what I have heard from the questioner, the question is not in compliance with the standing orders. Does the questioner wish to rephrase the question? I have given questioners the opportunity— Senator Abetz: If I may, Mr President, this minister accepted a ministry from the Prime Minister, that of manufacturing, which was outside of cabinet— The PRESIDENT: Senator Abetz, I do not think you are on the air. Senator Wong: Is this a point of order? Senator Abetz: Yes, it is a point of order inviting the President to reconsider his ruling. It is clearly within the minister's province to answer a question relating to a ministry that he personally accepted at the Prime Minister's request. The Prime Minister requested him to take the position of manufacturing minister, a position outside of cabinet. She has asserted that that was in the national interest. We are asking the minister whether or not he shares the Prime Minister's view, having accepted the ministry. He takes responsibility for having accepted the ministry; he has to be able to answer whether his acceptance of that is in the national interest. Senator Chris Evans: On the point of order, Mr President, the question clearly went to the actions and the views of the Prime Minister in an attempt to try and score some sort of cheap political point. If he wanted to ask about the actions of the Prime Minister then the question should have been directed to me as the minister representing the Prime Minister. Mr President, you have been very generous in allowing the senator the chance to rephrase the question that the tactics committee handed him. I am surprised that he used it given how poor the question was and how low the motives behind it are. The appropriate point is, if you have been that generous then Senator Colbeck ought to rephrase the question if he is genuinely interested in manufacturing policy. The PRESIDENT: The standing orders state quite clearly in 73(1): The following rules shall apply to questions: I will skip down the list: questions shall not ask: (h) for an expression of opinion; And that is the only thing that I can see arising out of this question. I have given Senator Colbeck the opportunity to rephrase the question so that it can comply with the standing orders. I have always been very generous in giving some of the questioners in this place, on all sides of parliament, an opportunity.