Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I want to record the privilege of my participation as a member of this House in two momentous events associated with the opening of parliament—the first being, of course, the Indigenous welcome. I want to say how overwhelmed I felt as I witnessed that welcome. I was a member of the Procedure Committee which reported to this House on the desirability of—and in fact firmly recommended—an Indigenous welcome to commence the proceedings of a new parliament. I am sad to say that the then Leader of the House, Mr Abbott, ignored that report and could not bring himself to respond to it for two parliaments before finally—and, I suspect, reluctantly—indicating that the government rejected the proposals contained in the report about the opening of parliament and, in particular, the Indigenous welcome. I should also place on record the feeling I had about the apology and about being a member of the parliament in the House of Representatives when the Prime Minister made that apology to the stolen generation. Could I also, in congratulating the Prime Minister on both these events, acknowledge the important role that the Leader of the Opposition played in offering bipartisan support to both events. I must say that, without that bipartisan support, those events would have been the lesser.

Deputy Speaker Schultz, as you would be aware, there was a momentous, record-breaking sitting on the first day of parliament—some 15 hours in duration—around the government’s proposals to provide for a sitting Friday. Was this something that was revolutionary and had not been seen on the continent of Australia before? That is not the case. The state the Leader of the Opposition, the shadow Treasurer and the Manager of Opposition Business come from has had sitting Fridays since 2002. While there are some departures in important respects from the New South Wales Legislative Assembly sitting on Friday, I note for the Hansard record that the opposition leader in New South Wales, a coalition member, has announced no such policy of having question time on private members’ sitting Fridays. So, whilst for us in the Commonwealth it is perhaps a significant departure, there is at least precedent in New South Wales—the state that you, Deputy Speaker, come from too, I might add. I should also acknowledge your illustrious prior service in the legislative assembly before to coming this great House, Deputy Speaker.

See this speech in context