Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, the chair is not aware as to whether tellers are counting slowly or whether that reflects on the counting ability of the tellers. Secondly, the point made by the member for Paterson is well made. I suspect that the instance he has highlighted is not the first or the last time that that will occur while standing orders are as they currently are. I commend to him page 513 of House of Representatives Practice, which says:

The period of time allotted for a Member’s speech is calculated from the moment the Member is given the call (unless the call is disputed by a motion under standing order 65(c)) and includes time taken up by interruptions such as divisions …

Under our current rules, what happened this morning was entirely proper. It would be within the competence of the House to change the standing orders if the House were so disposed.

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