David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business requested that I check the circumstances in which a number of members may have entered the chamber after I ordered the doors to be locked but before the doors were actually closed last Thursday.

Inquiries have been made about the circumstances in which some members entered the chamber in the division in question. While the staff act in accordance with my directions, they do not attempt to physically obstruct members in the process of closing the doors. If a member is in the course of entering the chamber when the direction to lock the doors is given, the staff will not take any action that will risk injury to a member. The options available to staff are limited even more when there are a number of members lining up at the restricted entry points to the chamber.

If members enter before the doors are closed, they are entitled to proceed to a point in the chamber where their vote will be counted, provided they reach that point before tellers are appointed. Members are not entitled to reopen closed doors. Based on the advice I have received, I do not propose to approach any members about withdrawing their votes. In recognition of the need to protect the integrity of the voting process, I ask all members to maintain their awareness of proceedings and, in particular, of division requirements. I have also asked the Serjeant-at-Arms to monitor the entry of members for divisions and to report back to me if there are any persistent problems that need to be addressed.

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