A WIDER range of questions would be asked by the Coalition - rather than just on carbon tax and asylum seekers - if acting Speaker Anna Burke forced government ministers to answer questions properly, according to the manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne.

Last week, Mr Pyne's colleague Malcolm Turnbull lamented the fact that question time was dominated by the carbon tax and asylum seekers.

Manager of Opposition Business Christopher Pyne walks by Acting Speaker Anna Burke during a Question Time in August. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

''If the Deputy Speaker, Anna Burke, would hold the government, the Prime Minister and her ministers to account, to be [relevant], then the frustration would be a lot less than it is at the moment,'' Mr Pyne told the ABC's Insiders program.

He said Ms Burke, who is acting Speaker while Peter Slipper stands aside over allegations of sexual harassment and improper conduct, needed ''to be much more on the job'' of making the government answer questions.