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

I do not wish to detain the House, but I did want to rise and support this motion moved by the Leader of the House, thank him and also thank the opposition for their support. I think increasing the number of speaking opportunities for members is always a good thing for them and, more especially, for their electorates, and I welcome the half hour that is now being provided on Mondays in the Main Committee. I would also observe that we are entrenching the rule that, if a division should interrupt the contribution of members on constituency statements, members will take off where they left off so their opportunity is not wiped out.

I would observe that when the Standing Committee on Procedure review this innovation, which I do hope they will do with some clarity, they might look at whether or not the proposition has been successful—and I am sure they will conclude that it has; whether it is popular with members—and I am sure the answer to that is yes; and, most importantly, whether or not an opportunity exists to perhaps extend it by a further half hour so that we would start sitting Mondays with an hour of constituency statements. But I do not want to prejudge how the procedure committee may deliberate on these matters but merely to hope that they will review these new arrangements, supported as they are by both sides of the House.

Question agreed to.

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