The PRESIDENT —On 30 June 1999, Acting Deputy President Senator Reynolds undertook to refer to me a ruling that a senator may not use language contrary to standing order 193 by quoting a publication. The rule that offensive words against protected office holders, such as other senators, cannot be used by quoting from a publication is as well established as any rule of the Senate can be. A ruling of the Chair to that effect in 1979 was referred in turn to the Privileges Committee and the Standing Orders Committee, as it then was, and each committee upheld it as a sound principle. If senators could circumvent the standing order by quoting a publication, the standing order would soon become worthless. The ruling of Senator Reynolds was therefore correct.