Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That:

(1) the House notes the statement that has been made by the Speaker and:

(a) suspends so much of the standing and sessional orders as would prevent the Honourable Member for Scullin from performing the duties of the Speaker in the House until the House agrees otherwise; and

(b) resolves to appoint the Honourable Member for Scullin to perform the duties of the Speaker in the House when the Speaker is absent from the House.

Leave not granted.

In the absence of leave not being granted, I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Sturt from moving the following motion forthwith:

(1) That the House notes the statement that has been made by the Speaker; and

(2) Suspends so much of the standing and sessional orders as would prevent the honourable member for Scullin from performing the duties of the Speaker in the House until the House otherwise agrees; and

(3) Resolves to appoint the honourable member for Scullin to perform the duties of the Speaker in the House when the Speaker is absent from the House.

Madam Deputy Speaker, this motion is not a reflection on you. The opposition believes that the clock should be restarted and that the period from 24 November to today should be repaired for the good of the parliament and the Australian people's confidence in our federal democracy. The coalition is moving this motion because we believe the integrity and standing of the parliament has been seriously damaged since former Speaker Jenkins resigned on 24 November last year and, in spite of the coalition nominating nine government members to take the chair, the member for Fisher was appointed over the objections of the opposition.

It is interesting that the Prime Minister did not want to make any comment at all on the Speaker's statement to the House on this day, one of the most unprecedented days in Australia's Commonwealth history. It is because she does not want to be seen to be associated any more with the Speaker that she chose over the member for Scullin and nine other government members. She wants to be as far away from the member for Fisher as she can be, and yet five short months ago the Prime Minister chose the member for Fisher over the member for Scullin and nine members of her own caucus. This motion gives her the opportunity to explain herself to the House, to speak following me in the chamber.

The standing of parliament and of politicians has never been lower in the eyes of the Australian public, starting with the backroom deals in late 2010 by the Prime Minister to secure government, the alliance with the Greens and the breach of faith with the Australian people over the promise not to introduce a carbon tax. This was followed by the Prime Minister's failure to require the member for Dobell to make a full explanation to the parliament over the scandal that has engulfed him over his time as National Secretary of the Health Services Union. It took the Prime Minister until 10 days ago to take action over the member for Dobell and she still intends to accept his vote in the chamber. The member for Dobell will continue to prop up her government. The member for Dobell is not good enough for the ALP caucus but is good enough for the Australian parliament.

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