Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Wahroonga) (11:14): My question is directed to the Minister for Building. Section 39 of the Workers Compensation Act stops weekly compensation payments after five years unless the worker has more than 20 per cent permanent impairment. In October 2018 the Minister voted in favour of a Labor amendment to remove section 39 altogether. Is that still the Minister's position?
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (11:14): Mr Speaker—
[Interruption]
The SPEAKER: Members will come to order. The Minister is ready to answer the question.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: I thank the member for Wahroonga for the repeat question, which was also asked of my colleague the Minister for Women. It seems that the lazy Susan has gone around the practice room with the same question. I predict the next question to a Labor member will also be about workers compensation. Firstly, the Government is committed to workers compensation reform. It is an important part of our economy. Secondly, there is an exposure draft on the table. I encourage members of the Opposition to make their submission and tell us what their position is on workers compensation. The draft has plenty of pages for them to devour. They can think about what their position is on workers' rights. As we know, there is only one—
Mr Alister Henskens: Point of order: I remind the Minister that the question was about what his position is, not what our position is.
The SPEAKER: It is not unreasonable to ask the Minister to be more directly relevant. I uphold the point of order.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: The exposure draft is out for consultation for a reason. The Government will not form a position until it gets all the feedback from the stakeholders.
Mr Gurmesh Singh: Point of order: The question was not about the Government's position. It was specifically about the Minister's position and whether it has changed since 2018.
The SPEAKER: There is no point of order under Standing Order 129. The Minister has been directly relevant.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: I will tell members of the Opposition a secret. My position was the same as the Government's position. How about that? There is a secret for them to run a campaign on.
Mr Jordan Lane: That's like Bill Shorten: I haven't seen the comment, but I support what it is they've said. Look at him now. He's gone. What a shocker!
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: The breaking news is that my position, when I form it, after consultation, will be the same position as the Government's position.
Mr Jordan Lane: He's got to wait to be told!
Ms Eleni Petinos: Wait to be told!
Mr Ron Hoenig: Point of order—
[Interruption]
The SPEAKER: Members will come to order or they will be removed from the Chamber. I acknowledge the interjection by the member for Ryde, who took interjections today to a new level. Interjections will not be tolerated. The member for Miranda will come to order. The behaviour of Opposition members was totally out of control. The only thing that ameliorated it was that Government frontbench members were also interjecting and the Minister was not impacted for most of his answer. I will hear from the Leader of the House, who I am sure is rightly concerned about the disorder in the House.
Mr Ron Hoenig: There are no circumstances in which members of the House may conduct themselves like that. That is about the worst behaviour I have seen.
The SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members are offending against the standing orders as the Leader of the House is attempting to take a point of order about disorder in the House. The Leader of the House will be heard in silence.
Mr Ron Hoenig: Behaviour like that from members on either side of the House must not be tolerated. Mr Speaker, I ask you to use all your available powers if there is an attempt by any member to repeat that behaviour.
Mr Alister Henskens: To the point of order: Yesterday when I could not hear what the Speaker was saying because of the cacophony of noise from Government members, the Leader of the House did not admonish his side of the Chamber. Members on this side of the House legitimately thought I had asked a question of the Minister for Building, not that Bill Shorten had returned to politics.
The SPEAKER: I will not deal with this issue throughout the rest of question time. I will apply the standing orders. I have indicated that members will be removed from the Chamber if they continue to interject. If I had exercised my powers under the standing orders fairly, a Government member would have been removed from the Chamber. I will treat the behaviour as a one-off. Minister Chanthivong was not unduly impacted by the interjections in delivering his answer, but the member for Ryde is on a warning for his interjections.
