Senator BRANDIS (7:02 PM) —As you know, Mr Acting Deputy President, relevance is not an issue in debating the appropriation bills. I just want to take a moment to place on the record something that occurred in the chamber during question time yesterday. You may recall that Senator Nettle asked a question of Senator Hill, as Minister for Defence, concerning the deployment of troops in Iraq.

The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Senator Marshall)—Senator Brandis, given what you have just said, are you actually speaking to the appropriation bills?

Senator BRANDIS —Yes, I am. In the course of Senator Hill's answer to Senator Nettle's question, a number of government senators, including to the best of my recollection Senator McGauran—but he was not the only one—interjected across the chamber in the general direction of the opposition, and particularly towards Senator Nettle, words to the effect, `If you had your way, Saddam Hussein would still be in control,' which is the kind of disorderly badinage which occurs in the chamber, to which there responded in a clear and strong voice, not once but twice, from Senator George Campbell the words, `Saddam Hussein is better than Donald Rumsfeld.' That provoked a degree of outrage in this part of the chamber, so Senator George Campbell repeated that statement: `Saddam Hussein is better than Donald Rumsfeld.' I just wanted to make sure the public record recorded that. (Quorum formed)