I’d just like this right of reply. You had a Labor senator get up and call into question the integrity of coalition politicians for meeting with big tobacco. That’s what happened. That’s what happened a few hours ago. No number of weasel words will remove from the record that your own senator got up and called into question the integrity of Liberal and National politicians for having the temerity to meet with the tobacco industry. Now you have just admitted under questioning that the WHO convention framework that you referenced says that public officials—and I’m a public official; I am under all the legislation—can meet with the tobacco industry for the purposes of public policy as I just said. So you need to be called out for this because you can’t come into this place and call into question others’ integrity without being held to account. You were misleading the Senate before by doing so. You were absolutely misleading the Senate by—
Senator McCarthy: Temporary Chair, on a point of order: there was no misleading the Senate in this debate. Had Senator Canavan been listening to my previous response to Senator Smith he would then see the context in which I made those comments about the responsibilities of members of parliament and public officials.
Senator O’Sullivan: Temporary Chair, that is not a point of order. That is a debating point. The senator has the opportunity to refute what Senator Canavan has said when Senator Canavan no longer has the call. So to interrupt him in that way disrupts his ability to speak in this debate.
Senator McCarthy: I do take umbrage with the fact that the comments were made about a senator who is not present who put a question earlier. So I would suggest that that same response is required in this situation.
The TEMPORARY CHAIR ( Senator Grogan ): We are bouncing around on an issue I was not in the chamber for. I think maybe having a look at the Hansard and checking the details of what has been said might be the way to go from here, Senator Canavan. Please advise if you are comfortable with that.
Senator CANAVAN: I’m just not quite clear. I would have thought I’m perfectly within my rights as a senator to say someone has misled the Senate—
The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Absolutely.
Senator CANAVAN: and then it is a matter for others to respond. The minister is right: Senator Smith is not here right now. But I know many times I have been completely trashed in the Senate when I’ve not been here. Sometimes when I’m leaving the building people are getting stuck into me. Sometimes when I’m leaving the chamber someone will get stuck into me. That’s part and parcel of debate. I’m just making a point here that, in my view, Senator Smith and Senator McCarthy, who was not fulsome in her response to the Senate about the provisions in the WHO convention, were calling into question the integrity of Liberal and National politicians on this side. I think they have been adequately called out because now the minister is flailing around with points of order which are clearly not being upheld to try, as Senator O’Sullivan said, to interrupt the debate here. I’m happy to move on. I just wanted to make those points and to reply. I do have some other questions for the minister, but I realise Senator Roberts has been waiting patiently, so I’ll come back after him.
