Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment Participation) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, I go to standing order 81. Unlike the member for North Sydney, I have no doubt that standing order 81 is unequivocal. As indicated by the Leader of the House, there is no room for the Speaker to do anything other than that which was done when the Leader of the House rose and moved the procedural motion to have the motion put. That is what occurred. I do not know what part of standing order 81 the opposition do not understand, but again for the benefit of those opposite the standing order says:

After a question has been proposed from the Chair, a Member may move without notice, and whether or not any other Member is speaking—

That the question be now put.

The question must be put immediately and resolved without amendment or debate.

That is exactly what was to occur until the member for North Sydney, Mr Speaker, chose to defy your ruling with no basis for it whatsoever. Indeed, the member for North Sydney did not raise one substantive argument in defending his position to move a dissent from your ruling. There is a reason why the member for North Sydney did not advance one substantive reason for moving that motion of dissent. It is that there is no reason. This standing order is unequivocal, and every Speaker who preceded you in this place has upheld standing order 81 and the principle that when a procedural motion is moved—in this case by the Leader of the House—the Speaker has no option other than to put that procedural motion before debate continues. That is the only position left to the Speaker, and it is outrageous that the member for North Sydney chose to audition himself for the position of Leader of the Opposition this afternoon. The same goes for the member for Warringah. The two of them were getting up, trying to steal the grab that is going to be on the television news tonight.

See this speech in context