Question Time: A Message from Ian Macfarlane

I watch Question Time. I haven’t been able to find where Ian Macfarlane, our Toowoomba MP, sits on the Opposition Benches. Nor can I recall a question he may have asked. So I emailed him to ask for texts and here is his quick and frank reply:

“As you may be aware questions asked in Question Time are determined by the Opposition Tactics Committee not by individual members. On average I submit 2 to 3 questions a week on issues relating to trade, resources and Industry. Tactics have not seen this as an area of attack on the Government and therefore not included the questions in the ten questions asked each Question Time. Questions have predominately been about the Rudd government's failure to deliver on lower petrol and grocery prices, transparency in government, lack of Prime Ministerial and Ministerial declarations, failure to deliver the Education and Broadband Revolution etc. As was the case when Labor were in opposition, questions on trade are very rare.”

Ian is sending me the texts. Thanks mate! By the way, he tells me he sits three from the Speaker's end on the Opposition front bench next to Tony Abbott (who is next to Joe Hockey).