Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I have a question to you. Yesterday, while the honourable member for Perth was moving a motion to suspend standing orders, the honourable Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry took a point of order that the motion to suspend standing orders was too long. The minister referred generally to standing orders but did not cite a specific standing order.

Standing order 47, which governs motions to suspend standing orders, is silent on the matter of their length. Page 330 of House of Representatives Practice, which deals with suspensions, is also silent on the length of motions. House of Representatives Practice does deal with the length of notices, but a motion to suspend standing orders does not meet the definition of a notice as outlined on page 287 of House of Representatives Practice. Mr Speaker, given that you ruled that the motion was too long, for the assistance of honourable members can I ask on what basis the chair can rule that a motion is too long?

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