Alex Somlyay (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition does not oppose the government’s appointment of the member for New England as a supplementary member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government as moved by the minister. However, I move the following amendment:

That the following words be added at the end of the motion: “and that the Member for O’Connor, Mr Tuckey, also be appointed as a supplementary Member of the Committee for the inquiry and that the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders”.

There is no precedent for the government to appoint a non-government member to a House of Representatives standing committee as a supplementary member under standing order 215(d). My amendment therefore is to secure the appointment of the member for O’Connor as a supplementary member of the House committee for the duration of the proposed inquiry.

It is convention for the government to appoint government members and for the Opposition Whip to nominate to the Speaker non-government members. The member for O’Connor should be appointed to the committee as the non-government supplementary member of this committee as it is clear from the minister’s motion that the member for New England is the effective nominee of the Rudd government. Further, the member for O’Connor, as we all know, is highly qualified and has impeccable credentials to be appointed to this committee for the inquiry into Regional Partnerships. The member for O’Connor was the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government in the Howard government at the time the Regional Partnerships program was expanded to include applications from the private sector.

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