Question time in federal parliament

QUESTION TIME IN FEDERAL PARLIAMENT

THE THINGS WE LEARNT:

* Trade Minister Andrew Robb has been given the gold standard award for international policy-maker of the year by Public Affairs Asia for closing free-trade deals with Japan, South Korea and China. Cue applause from coalition MPs.

* Special Minister of State Mal Brough insisted he had not misled parliament "at all this week ..." - to howls of derision from Labor MPs - "or last week, or at any time, the last two weeks, the last 12 years, where would you like me to go?"

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO SPIN: The importance of productivity, growth and innovation in maintaining a high wage, First-World, fair social welfare safety net economy.

WHAT LABOR WANTED TO TALK ABOUT: What conversations did Mal Brough have with ministerial colleague Wyatt Roy over the Ashby-Slipper affair.

YOU SAID WHAT?

"I'm surprised somebody upstream on a river would be disadvantaged by somebody downstream. Normally it's the other way around. Anyway, maybe water flows uphill up there," the PM tries to make sense of a question asked by North Queensland independent Bob Katter.

TOP TWEET:

"Listening to Barnaby, it's easy to see why MacFarlane saw opportunities with the Nats!" Labor MP Andrew Giles.