Bob McMullan (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations) Share this | Hansard source

If the Leader of the House thinks that the problem is that we do not have any more questions, do not cut off question time after this motion; let it continue. You only let us have seven yesterday; so far, we have only had five. If you think we have not got any more questions, let question time go ahead. We challenge you to let it go ahead and see what happens.

Mr Speaker, what we should be talking about in here is education, but because of the pattern of your rulings—which have been inconsistent and in our view entirely unreasonable—we have been led to this situation of a dissent motion. The most fundamental obligation of the speaker is to show impartiality. House of Representatives Practicethis is this book, Tony; this one here: House of Representatives Practicesays absolutely clearly on page 164:

The Speaker must show impartiality in the Chamber above all else. A Speaker should give a completely objective interpretation of standing orders and precedents, and should give the same reprimand for the same offence whether the Member is of the Government or the Opposition.

We have never had a clearer case of a failure to implement that part of House of Representatives Practice than today. Yesterday, the Prime Minister, as reflected in Hansard—he did not bother to try and change it—talked about ‘lying through your teeth’, and you said it was in order. The member for Melbourne said the same thing, and you called on him to withdraw and said it was not in order. The member for Gorton said the same thing, and you threw him out. The Minister for Foreign Affairs said the same thing, and you asked him to withdraw. That pattern of inconsistency has provoked this point of order, because it has provoked this opposition beyond acceptance, beyond reasonableness. I know, Mr Speaker, that the government behaves so badly that your job is very difficult. We accept that and try to make allowances for it because you have the foreign minister, who has never obeyed the standing orders in 10 years, and the Leader of the House, who does not know what they are and has not referred to them in 10 years.

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